Reproductive Rights Under Threat—Even When They Seem Secure
This blog is part of YWCA BC's Gender Equality Week series, exploring the growing backlash against gender equality and the ways it is affecting people's lives. One of the clearest reminders that progress is not guaranteed is the continued challenge to reproductive rights in many parts of the world.
Reproductive rights are fundamental to bodily autonomy, health and gender equality. Yet recent years have seen increasing efforts to restrict access to reproductive health care, raising important questions about how rights can be protected and what happens when they are taken for granted.
Reproductive rights include access to contraception, prenatal care, safe childbirth and legal abortion. Yet over the past decade, these rights have come under increasing pressure in many parts of the world, particularly where authoritarian, nationalist or anti-gender movements have gained influence.
In 2022, the United States Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade, ending constitutional protection for abortion access. In Poland, already home to some of Europe's most restrictive abortion laws, abortion access was further curtailed after a 2021 Constitutional Tribunal ruling that effectively banned the procedure in nearly all cases. Similar restrictions have emerged across parts of Latin America and elsewhere around the world.
The consequences extend far beyond abortion itself. Restrictions on reproductive health care are associated with higher rates of maternal and infant morbidity and mortality, increased unintended pregnancies, reduced access to contraception and barriers to preventive health services. These policies can also discourage people from seeking timely medical care, creating broader health consequences for women and families.
While abortion remains legal in Canada, we are not immune to global trends. Since the 1988 R. v. Morgentaler decision struck down Canada's abortion law, no new federal law has replaced it. However, the Supreme Court did not explicitly establish abortion as a constitutionally protected right, leaving ongoing questions about access, equity and political vulnerability. As gender equality advocates have warned, rights that are assumed to be secure can still be eroded when they are not actively protected.
Access isn’t equal
Access to reproductive health care is not the same for everyone. Income, race, disability, immigration status, gender identity and geography can all shape a person’s ability to access care.
For people with limited financial resources, taking time off work, arranging transportation or finding childcare can create additional challenges. Indigenous, Black and other racialized women may also face discrimination, cultural barriers and a lack of culturally safe care within health-care systems. Research has documented disparities in emergency and maternal health care, while reports such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and In Plain Sight have highlighted systemic inequities.
Reproductive health care is also essential for transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse people. Access to contraception, abortion, fertility care and pregnancy care can be made more difficult by discrimination, stigma and limited provider knowledge.
Reproductive rights are about more than abortion. They include the ability to make informed decisions about our bodies, health and futures, and to access the care needed to make those decisions. Removing barriers to that care is an important part of advancing health equity, gender equality and human rights.
Protecting reproductive rights means protecting people’s health, safety and ability to make decisions about their own futures. It also means addressing the systemic barriers that make it harder for some people to access care, safety and economic security.
At YWCA BC, we advocate for policies that advance gender equality and remove barriers to health, housing, safety and economic security. Learn more about YWCA BC’s policy priorities and donate to support our work for a more equitable future.
