Obstacles to realising sexual and reproductive health and rights
The rise of conservatism
While calls for SRHR have increased since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 1995, there has also been a rise in political and religious conservatism, accompanied by a growing resistance to sexual and reproductive rights. The US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a $15-billion, five-year plan announced in 2003, spends one third of prevention funds on abstinence-until-marriage programmes which explicitly condemn condom use and discourage sex education.
In some countries, such as Uganda, abstinence-only programmes have been coupled with misinformation about condoms. This has led to to a decrease in condom supplies and use, with potentially grave consequences for men's and women's sexual and reproductive health (Abstinence only versus broad-based sexual health promotion).
In 2001, the United States Government reintroduced the "Global Gag Rule" (also known as the Mexico City Policy) which prevents any USAID money going to family planning agencies that provide or promote abortion or even give abortion information in counselling sessions, which has resulted in the closure of some services (Center for Reproductive Rights).
The US Trafficking Victims Protection Act and the Bush administration's Global AIDS Act of 2003, both forbid funding to any group which does not explicitly oppose prostitution and sex trafficking. This includes any organisation engaged in sexual health outreach or HIV prevention work with sex workers (Center for Health and Gender Equity - CHANGE).
These externally imposed constraints to realising SRHR have coincided with a backlash against sexual rights in a number of developing countries. This backlash has focused on sexuality, particularly the right to express sexual orientation. Some countries oppose sexual rights on the grounds of culture or nationalism, others on religious grounds. This has led to alliances of conservatives from across the political divide who have worked to block international progress in realising sexual and reproductive rights (Lang).
However, there is growing resistance to forms of conservatism that directly threaten people's lives and livelihoods by denying them sexual and reproductive choices. The European Union recently spoke out against the abstinence-only policies pursued by the United States (EU statement on HIV prevention). Some northern governments have reiterated their commitment to SRHR, including the right to safe abortion (SIDA).
