Vote in favour of the Estrela Report on “Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights” (SRHR)! 5 MAIN REASONS WHY

On 10th December you will have the unique opportunity WHY IS YOUR VOTE IMPORTANT? Supporting SRHR is a smart thing to do. It is an investment with huge returns to advance the Sexual and for everyone in society and in particular for women and girls. Access to contra- ception, sexuality education and voluntary empowers women Reproductive Health and to decide the number of children they have, reduces teenage pregnancies, and Rights of everyone in the allows women and girls to get an education. In turn, this enables them to re- enter the labour market, earn money and it increases their financial stability. EU and beyond by voting in Globally, every dollar spent on family planning saves over 4 dollars otherwise favour of the Estrela report. spent treating complications from unintended pregnancies.

WHY VOTE IN FAVOUR OF THE SRHR REPORT?

SRHR ARE STRONGLY RELATED SRHR ARE STILL NOT FULLY NEED FOR A STRONG TO EU CORE VALUES GUARANTEED EVERYWHERE AND UNIFIED EU VOICE 1The report acknowledges: 2 IN THE EU 3 ON SRHR • That SRHR are part of the fundamental The report: •For the first time in more than a decade, human rights that all EU Member States • Stresses that people in Europe face in- the has the chance have committed to respect, protect and creasing challenges having their SRHR to express its position on SRHR - at a fulfil; guaranteed. point when these rights are increasingly • That everyone has the right to make their • Emphasizes that, despite international threatened in the EU and beyond; own informed and responsible choices commitments, sexual and reproductive • The report will be an important reference regarding their sexual and reproductive health standards still vary widely within point at national, regional and global le- health and to live their sexuality free from EU Member States; vels. It comes at a key moment when in- harm, violence and discrimination. • Calls on Member States to ensure the ternational actors are negotiating global • That the violation of sexual and repro- implementation of national strategies for policies for future generations on popu- ductive rights breaches the rights to sexual and reproductive health and notes lation, development and gender equality; equality, non-discrimination, dignity, the EU’s role in awareness-raising and • Remember, opposition to SRHR is on health and freedom from inhumane and promoting best practices; the rise within and beyond the EU with degrading treatment. • Highlights that even when it is legal, reactionary groups opposing the concept is often prevented or delayed due of sexual diversity and seeking to restrict to unnecessary waiting periods, biased women’s sexual and reproductive auto- counseling or the refusal to perform an nomy and rights. abortion on moral or religious grounds (conscientious objection).

THE REALIZATION OF SRHR IS SRHR IS A PRE-CONDITION FOR THE EUROPEAN KEY FOR THE ACHIEVEMENT OF POVERTY ERADICATION AND A 4 GENDER EQUALITY 5 DECENT LIFE FOR ALL PARLIAMENT HAS A The report: The report: • Stresses that gender equality and • Urges the Commission to put SRHR at KEY ROLE TO PLAY. women´s empowerment can be achieved the centre of EU development coopera- through respecting, promoting and gua- tion, to remove all barriers to accessing it, YOUR VOTE WILL ranteeing SRHR; and to guarantee quality, affordability and • Acknowledges that women cannot truly acceptability of sexual and reproductive ENSURE A STRONG be equal to men when they are still denied health services for all; control over their fertility, their health and • Stresses that investments in sexual and AND PROGRESSIVE their body; reproductive health and family planning • Underlines that promoting SRHR contri- are cost-effective and critical in eradica- EP VOICE ON SRHR! butes to preventing and mitigating vio- ting poverty; lence against women. • Asks the Commission to include a suffi- ciently funded budget line for SRHR in its Development Cooperation Instrument. FACTS AND FIGURES ON SRHR IN THE EU DID YOU KNOW THAT:

HIGHER MATERNAL MORTALITY rates TEENAGE BIRTH rates2 vary significantly DUE TO THE ECONOMIC CRISIS still exist in several Member States, in- between Member States. The highest of the Greek population cluding rates are found in are losing their public 1/3 health insurance. This is LATVIA 27 ROMANIA BULGARIA ROMANIA reducing their access to health services, 34 47 40 including sexual and reproductive health services. 21 HUNGARY 20 LUXEMBOURG 25 UK 21 ESTONIA ABORTION IS BANNED completely - or compared to Member States with the almost completely - in Malta, Ireland lowest rates (between 2 and 10 maternal 21 SLOVAKIA and Poland, and even in instances where deaths per 100,000 live births)1. abortion is legal in those countries it is compared to the lowest rates (between extremely difficult to access it. As a- re 5 and 9 births per year). Studies have sult, women resort to illegal proven that adolescent mothers are less or so-called “abortion tourism”, to the likely to graduate from school and are detriment of their rights and dignity, in- more likely to live in poverty3. creasing social and health inequities.

IN SLOVAKIA, HUNGARY, RO- USE OF MODERN FORMS OF CONTRACEPTION REMAINS MANIA, POLAND AND ITALY IN ITALY, NEARLY 70% WORRYINGLY LOW in a number of Eastern European Countries: conscientious objection to OF ALL GYNAECOLOGISTS abortion services among AND 40% OF ALL IN ALBANIA ONLY 10% OF WOMEN AGED 15-49 USE A health providers is becoming ANAESTHESIOLOGISTS MODERN METHOD OF CONTRACEPTION, IN BOSNIA AND increasingly common, hinde- CONSCIENTIOUSLY HERZEGOVINA THIS AMOUNTS TO 11%, IN SERBIA TO ring women’s access to ser- OBJECT TO PROVIDING 22%, IN ARMENIA TO 27%, IN POLAND TO 28%, AND IN vices that they are entitled to ABORTION SERVICES.5 LITHUANIA TO 33%.6 by law4.

THE POWER OF SPENDING ON PREVENTION: Lessons learned in Finland

Leading up to the 1990s, the sexual health of Finnish young increased by more than 50%. Teenage deliveries and STIs people was improving: rates of sexually transmitted infec- followed the same trajectory. Alarmed by these numbers, tions (STI) were decreasing; teenage deliveries were 1/3 of the Finnish government started reinstating services that the number that they were in 1975; and the number of ado- had been cut. They re-introduced comprehensive sexuality lescent abortions had reached an all-time low. But this po- education into the elementary school curriculum and made sitive development was quickly reversed. The country found emergency contraception available without a doctor’s pres- itself in a severe economic downturn and between 1990 and cription for everyone over 15 years old. The investments 1994, the government drastically cut funding for essential are yielding great results: 2011 and 2012 mark the lowest health services. Young people’s sexual health started to number of unwanted adolescent pregnancies and abor- deteriorate fast. From 1994 to 2002, adolescent abortions tions in nearly 20 years.

• SEXUAL HEALTH includes healthy sexual including a satisfying and safe sex life, capa- 1. UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-agency development, equitable and responsible rela- city to have children and freedom to decide if, Group (2012). Trends in maternal mortality 1990 to tionships and sexual fulfilment, freedom from when and how often to do so. 2010: WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA and The World Bank illness, disease, disability, violence and other • are the rights of estimates. harmful practices related to sexuality. couples and individuals to decide freely and 2. Annual number of births to girls aged 15 to 19 • SEXUAL RIGHTS are the rights of all people responsibly the number and spacing of their years per 1,000 girls in that age group. to decide freely and responsibly on all aspects children, to have the information, education 3. United Nations, Department of Economic and So- of their sexuality, including protecting and pro- and means to do so, attain the highest stan- cial Affairs, Population Division (2012) moting their sexual health, to be free from dis- dards of sexual and reproductive health and 4. WHO, Safe abortion: technical and policy guidance crimination, coercion or violence in their sexual make decisions about reproduction free of for health systems (2nd ed, 2012) lives and in all sexual decisions, expect and de- discrimination, coercion and violence. 5. Report from the Minister of Health on the Imple- mand equality, full consent, mutual respect and mentation of the Laws on the Social Protection of shared responsibility in sexual relationships. (Based on the International Conference on Population Maternity and Abortion (Law 194/78). Rome: 2008, • REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH is the complete and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action (UNF- p. 4. physical, mental and social well-being in all PA, 1995) and the Beijing Declaration and Platform 6. UNFPA State of World Population Report 2012. matters related to the reproductive system for Action (UN, 1995))