Right to Sexual and Reproductive Health Education 2016 2. REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH EDUCATION FROM A RIGHTS PERSPECT 2.1 Reproductive health rights It is essential for every individual to enjoy the maximum attainable standard of physical and mental health. But we often set aside the importance of rights relating to health and SRH which is also an intrinsic part of that right. Every individual should have the right to appreciate an adequate sex life and should be able to make decisions regarding their own SRH. RH was recognized and endorsed as an International Human Right in the Cairo Consensus, initiated by the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in 1994, and was one of the first declarations that viewed the enjoyment of reproductive health as a right. “Reproductive health…implies that people are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life and that they have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so. …Bearing in mind the above definition, reproductive rights embrace certain human rights that are already recognized in national laws, international human rights documents and other consensus documents. These rights rest on the recognition of the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly on the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information and means to do so, and the right to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health. It also includes their right to make decisions concerning reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and violence.” Definition of Reproductive Health “Reproductive health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well‐ being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in all matters relating to the reproductive system and to its functions and processes. Reproductive health therefore implies that people are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life and that they have the capability to reproduce 15 REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH EDUCATION FROM A RIGHTS PERSPECT