The Right of Access to Information About Reproductive Health Under International Law

This article argues that the right to freedom of expression and information, taken together with a number of other international human rights, has evolved to the point that immediate and concrete obligations are now imposed on governments to provide, and to refrain from interfering with, the communication of information necessary for the protection and promotion of reproductive health and choice. Part I examines the nature of governmental obligations under international human rights law, the importance of information in securing the rights to reproductive health and choice, and mechanisms for promoting government compliance with the obligation to respect the rights to information. Part II lays out the relevant international jurisprudence concerning the right to freedom of expression and information. Part III identifies the components of the right to reproductive health information that impose immediate obligations on governments, concluding that these components should be enforced by human rights bodies and national courts. [Descriptors: Reproductive Rights - Right to Know, International]