Reproductive rights are all about safe and legal access to prenatal services, childbirth support, contraception, and abortion. This is vital in ensuring the mental and physical health of women and people who can become pregnant.

Access to safe and affordable abortion is a fundamental human right. Everyone should have the right to control and make decisions about their body, sexuality and reproductive health. This includes the right to choose to have a abortion or continue with a pregnancy.

The history of reproductive rights 

The history of reproductive rights is fraught with abuse, racism, and a persistent fight for adequate care. To understand the biases that still shape healthcare today, we must confront this past.

Modern gynecology was developed through forced experimentation on enslaved Black women in the US in the 1800s. This history has an impact on how women’s pain and the pain of Black women and women of colour are understood. You can learn more about it in this video. 

For a long time, it was believed that women of colour had a higher tolerance to pain. Even today, this perception persists and means that women of colour are often not given the same levels of pain medication and/or their pain isn’t taken as seriously. In the US, Black women are three times more likely to die during childbirth. 

In Australia, the history of colonisation impacts the reproductive health and treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Disparities remain in the proportion of low birthweight, preterm births, and perinatal deaths as well as in infant and child mortality, between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. 

It’s important to remember that reproductive rights are so much more than just abortion. They also considers the social and economic barriers that a person might face to accessing reproductive health care because of their race, socio-economic status, transgender identity, and history of exclusion. Reproductive Justice is a movement that addresses the fact that there is no choice if there is no access. This intersectional framework highlights that the binary of pro-life v pro-choice does not consider the barriers faced by those marginalised by systemic oppression. 

Watch this video on Reproductive Justice to learn more.

The ‘Pro-Choice Vs Pro-Life’ Debate

When we talk about different ideas surrounding abortion, we usually end up discussing two opposing viewpoints. Here’s a quick summary: 

• Pro-choice: the belief that it is a woman’s right to choose whether or not to have an abortion.
• Pro-life: the belief that abortion is morally wrong and a violation of the rights of a foetus (sometimes called ‘an unborn child’).

Disagreements between these two viewpoints usually centre upon when ‘life’ begins. 

Understanding both sides

For those who take a ‘Pro-Life’ stance, life is seen to begin at conception (fertilisation), arguing that terminating a pregnancy is destroying human life.

‘Pro-Choice’ groups oppose this view, emphasising that personhood at conception is not a biologically proven fact but a religious claim. They base this on the fact that the foetus cannot survive outside of the uterus on its own, and therefore cannot be counted as a human being. 

The ‘Pro-Choice’ position totally disagrees with the ‘Pro-Life’ claim that abortion is murder because the foetus requires the mother’s body to survive and is not self-sustaining. This further emphasises the need to prioritise the mother’s safety and free choice.

Within each group, there are differing opinions on certain elements of the debate – some more liberal (as in ‘open-minded’ ) and some more conservative – but there is a range of perspectives even within each main argument.

For example, some ‘Pro-Life’ believers may allow for the use of abortion in cases where a woman has been raped recognising that continuing with the pregnancy might be incredibly traumatic. While some people who identify as ‘Pro-Choice’ might agree with certain restrictions and time limitations on abortion.

We’ll take a look at the main arguments of each group here, but it’s important to remember that differences exist in the ‘two sides’ of the debate.

Understanding the main positions relating to abortion is really important as it can help you gain a better grasp of the reasons and beliefs behind each argument. It is important to understand both arguments for what this might mean to you in relation to your own personal views. The more information you gain on abortion and the arguments for or against it can help prepare you to make decisions regarding your own pregnancy.

The ‘Pro-Choice’ stance

The push for legal abortion developed in the Women’s Liberation Movement in the late 1960s, with more women beginning to demand access to reproductive rights (like abortion or the contraceptive pill) and sexual freedom. From the 1970s, feminist groups like the Women’s Abortion Action Campaign in New South Wales lobbied for abortion to be made legal and advocated to make safe abortion available with no legal restrictions or discrimination.

The main arguments made by those who are ‘Pro-Choice’ are:

• It is a person’s human right to decide what to do with their body
• The right to abortion is integral to gender equality and the human rights of women and people who can become pregnant
• Banning or restricting abortions puts women and people who can become pregnant at risk of harm by forcing them to have unsafe and illegal abortions
• Forcing women and people who can become pregnant to go through with their pregnancy can have serious physical and mental health consequences on both the parent and child
• The right to choose whether to end a pregnancy or not is vital for women and people who can become pregnant to be able to achieve their full potential
• The right to choose abortion enables women and people who can become pregnant to make economic decisions about their life and can prevent or reduce poverty

The ‘Pro-Life’ stance

The ‘Pro-Life’ movement emerged in response to the women’s movement and push toward legal abortion. Although the ‘Pro-Life’ movement has been influenced by various religious interests and conservative political groups, there are many religious groups in Australia who take a ‘Pro-Choice’ position on abortion.

Some of the arguments made by those who are ‘Pro-Life’ are:

• Life begins at conception, therefore having an abortion is the act of taking a human life; abortion is a violation of the sanctity of human life
• Abortion is not necessary; adoption is a viable alternative
• Abortion can cause severe psychological pain and distress
• Women and people who can become pregnant who have abortions may face medical complications later in life
• Those who have abortions may be too young to fully understand what they are doing
• Legal abortion may be used as another form of contraception

Where does Australia stand?

Surveys have estimated that 83% of Australians believe people should have a right to choose whether they have an abortion. Abortion is legal throughout Australia, though each state and territory have different laws. 

Where does the world stand? 

Globally, there is an overwhelming trend towards pro-choice views and the liberalisation of abortion laws. Today, 60% of people live in locations where abortion is broadly legal. However, in some countries around the world abortion access is limited or even illegal. Check out this interactive map for more specific info. 

A dangerous regression of abortion rights has happened in some countries such as the US. You might’ve heard about Roe v. Wade in 2022, where the US Supreme Court eliminated the constitutional right to abortion. This has had hugely damaging effects on abortion rights in the US, where it is now banned in some states.

This only goes to show that women and people who can become pregnant still don’t have full reproductive rights, and the fight for safe and legal abortion access around the world continues. 

Global human rights positions

The United Nations and human rights organisations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch advocate for the right to access safe and legal abortion as a fundamental human right. This includes the rights of women and people who can become pregnant to have control over and freely decide on matters relating to their sexuality and reproductive health free from any form of discrimination, violence or coercion.

Getting Help

If you are thinking about getting an abortion, read up about your rights — in Australia, laws differ from state to state. 

If you need to talk to someone urgently, support is available. Free and confidential support is available with the Kids Help Line and 1800 My Options. 

If you require medical assistance, and you don’t want to see your family doctor (or you don’t have one) a sexual health clinic is a great option. Visit Sexual Health & Family Planning Australia to find a clinic near you.