2008 Oregon Black Political Convention

Reproductive rights are too often subsumed by highly contentious debates about abortion. But reproductive rights go far beyond abortion. The global fight for reproductive rights is the fight against maternal mortality, forced and coerced sterilization, and gender-based discrimination and harassment. It is the struggle to give women the power to decide for themselves whether, when, and with whom to have children, and for access to sound, medically accurate information about family planning and sexually transmitted infections. It is the battle for universal access to all forms of contraception for both women and men. And it is the effort to protect women, men, and children from the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS.

In short, the reproductive rights movement seeks to empower people all over the world by promoting their agency and control over personal sexual and reproductive health decisions.