 | Where Human Rights Begin Subjects: Birth control -- Moral and ethical aspects; Contraception -- Moral and ethical aspects; Reproductive health; Women’s rights; Human rights; More than a decade ago, three landmark world conferences placed the human rights of women on the international agenda. The first, in Vienna, officially extended the definition of human rights to include a woman's right to self-determination and equality. A year later, in Cairo, this concept was elaborated to deal explicitly with issues of sexuality and procreation. Subsequently, at a conference in Beijing, the international community committed to a wide range of practical interventions to advance women's sexual, social, political, and economic rights. Wendy Chavkin is a professor of clinical public health and obstetrics/gynecology at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University. Ellen Chesler is a senior fellow at the Open Society Institute, the international foundation supported by George Soros. OSI sponsored the fellowship program that made this project possible. |
