Human rights are a vital part of women’s health care, a conference was being told today.
The issue is being highlighted at a Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) conference to mark International Women’s Day today.
As part of event in London, UK, it is hosting keynote talks from leading figures in the field of human rights in medical practice and leading politician Baroness Kinnock.
Professor Lesley Regan, chair of The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) women’s sexual and reproductive rights committee and newly appointed vice president for strategic development at the RCOG, will lead an introductory workshop on integrating human rights into women’s health.
She will discuss what knowledge and tools healthcare providers need to implement a human rights approach in their delivery of care to women, including the FIGO Checklist for Quality Care – a simple and effective tool that helps to identify a patient’s right to high quality healthcare.
Professor Regan said the event today will help to improve the standards of healthcare and empower women.
“Women should know about their rights when accessing healthcare. We need to empower them with the knowledge they need to help us protect and preserve their fundamental rights,” she said.
“It is crucial that all healthcare professionals, whether they be in the UK or in developing countries, understand how a rights-based approach leads to higher quality healthcare for women.”
Other keynote speakers at the International Women’s Day event are Baroness Kinnock, vice president of the associate parliamentary group on Sudan and South Sudan, and solicitor Bertie Leigh, a legal advisor to the RCOG for the past 30 years and specialist in medical negligence.
Guidance on the issue was being released by the World Health Organisation today to mark the day.
It said providing information to women and girls about contraception was a vital part of ensuring their rights.
Dr Flavia Bustreo, of WHO, said: “A lack of contraception puts six out of ten women in low-income countries at risk of unintended pregnancy.
"Ensuring availability and accessibility to the information and services they need is crucial, not only to protect their rights, but also their health. These unintended pregnancies can pose a major threat to their own and their children’s health and lives.”
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