International Day of Action for Women’s Health: Advancing Women’s Health

05.28.11 - On May 28, the Center for Reproductive Rights joins health and women’s rights advocates from around the world in commemorating the International Day of Action for Women’s Health.

The Center also calls on governments to ensure access to sexual and reproductive health services, including contraception, which is essential to improve women and adolescent girls’ health.

“Guaranteeing access to affordable, acceptable and good quality contraceptive services and information, free from coercion, discrimination and violence, is critical for achieving gender equality and ensuring that women can participate as full members of society,” said Lilian Sepúlveda, Deputy Director of the International Legal Program at the Center for Reproductive Rights.

In March 2011, the Center for Reproductive Rights and Slovak human rights groups Citizen, Democracy and Accountability and Freedom of Choice Slovakia launched the fact-finding report Calculated Injustice: The Slovak Republic’s Failure to Ensure Access to Contraceptives.

This report illustrates that the failure of the Slovak government to cover contraceptives under public health insurance renders such services inaccessible to many women. Prohibitive costs affect primarily the most vulnerable women and adolescent girls, such as those with low incomes or in violent relationships, many of whom are forced to rely on traditional family planning methods or lower quality contraceptives as a result.

As well as failing to address cost barriers, the Slovak government is not ensuring that women and girls are provided with sound and comprehensive information on modern contraceptives. As a result, misinformation and distorted views on contraception are widespread.

“With these failures, Slovakia is denying women and adolescent girls the enjoyment of their rights to equality and non-discrimination, to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children, and to health,” said Sepúlveda.

“Instead of improving the situation, the Slovak Ministry of Health is currently proposing a bill that excludes contraceptives used for pregnancy prevention from any public health insurance coverage. By withdrawing these discriminatory provisions, the Slovak authorities could take an essential step towards showing their commitment to women’s reproductive health and rights.”