Reproductive Health and Human Rights: The Way Forward (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Reproductive Health and Human Rights: The Way Forward Mary Pat Treuthart (bio) Reproductive Health and Human Rights: The Way Forward (Laura Reichenbach & Mindy Jane Roseman eds., Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009) 292 pages, ISBN 978-0-8122-4152-5 Reproductive freedom has been characterized as the linchpin of gender quality.1 But what is the relationship between reproductive rights generally and reproductive health specifically? What is the connection between reproductive health and primary health care? Is there still a link between reproductive health and population control principles? Where is the intersection of gender equity, reproductive health, and human rights? How does the overlay of development objectives affect reproductive health concerns? What does the future hold for policy making on global reproductive health issues? Reproductive Health and Human Rights: The Way Forward provides some answers to these questions. This edited compilation is composed of thoughtful essays crafted by scholars, researchers, and practitioners from a myriad of disciplines including public health, law, sociology, economics, human rights, and development. The book uses the Programme of Action from the 1994 United Nations International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo as an organizing principle.2 This allows the editors and authors to: 1) trace the evolution of reproductive health; 2) link reproductive health concerns to broader human rights and development objectives; 3) analyze the ongoing viability of the ICPD reproductive rights agenda; 4) assess the challenges to the successful implementation of effective reproductive health policy world-wide; and 5) predict the “way forward” for accomplishing the vision of ICPD. While recognizing its US-based perspective, the editors anticipate this volume will appeal to a broader international audience of scholars, activists, and policymakers who will gain a much needed framework for ICPD and the current state of reproductive health across the globe. As the editors note, despite the divergent perspectives of the contributing authors, there is agreement about the importance of the ICPD legacy, particularly its emphasis on “individual and informed decision making” by women who, in contrast with men, are affected by reproductive choices in distinct and direct ways.3 At the same time, there is frank acknowledgment that compromises were necessary to forge consensus among the 179 nations that agreed to ICPD’s template for population and development.4 [End Page 253] The preface also explains why some overlap exists among the chapters.5 This is simultaneously a strength and a possible weakness of the book. The essays reinforce and complement one another; there is little actual repetition as sometimes happens with single-author anthologies composed of speeches and previous essays. However, it is somewhat tricky to read the discrete chapters individually due to the book’s overall cohesive structure. But those who take the time to read the book in its entirety, and perhaps return for a second look will be richly rewarded.6 Part I of the book’s tripartite approach focuses on “Global Agendas and Population and Development Perspectives.” Reichenbach, a scientific researcher, and Roseman, the Academic Director of the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School where she serves as a lecturer, made a wise strategic decision to write the two initial chapters because doing so allows them to provide a basic overview of the ICPD’s Programme of Action for those less familiar with its purposes, provisions, and point of view.7 ICPD defined reproductive health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being” and connected its mandate to other development agendas.8 The so-called “Cairo Paradigm” moved the guiding principles of population policy in the international arena from its earlier concentration on controlling fertility to a broader strategy of human rights and empowerment, especially for women.9 The political ramifications of ICPD’s work are addressed directly, in part by chronicling the shift in the position of the US from 1994 when it was ICPD’s “major supporter” to 2004 when the US became ICPD’s “major backtracker.”10 The trend toward conservative politics, the increased involvement of the Holy See in the international dialogue on matters affecting sexuality and reproductive freedom, and the renewed emphasis on economic development as showcased in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) seemingly affected...