ACOG
Close Search
Menu
In This Section

Global Women's Health and Rights

Statement of Policy

Acknowledging the significant interplay of women’s human rights with the overall health of women and society, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists ardently supports efforts to improve the dignity, autonomy, rights and health of women in the United States and globally.  ACOG endorses the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) resolutions regarding the rights of women, the relationship of these rights to human rights, and the social responsibility obstetrician-gynecologists have to promote and protect women’s health in their individual and professional encounters.1, 2 To this end, ACOG commits to encourage and uphold policies and action in the United States and across the world to assure that women have:

  1. The right to be full and responsible citizens of their countries, with equal property, economic, voting, and freedom of movement rights.

  2. The right to equal education.

  3. The right to work and earn a living with equal pay for equal work.

  4. The right to be free of all forms of gender-based violence such as domestic violence, sexual assault, incest, infanticide, honor killings, female genital cutting, and self-immolation at a spouse or significant other’s death.

  5. The right to the best available, scientifically based health care, including health and sexuality education.

  6. The right to autonomous decision-making, informed consent, privacy and confidentiality regarding their own health care.

  7. The right to participate equally in ethically conducted clinical and other research.  3

  8. The right to decide when and if to have sex, including choosing one’s partner, and freedom from coerced marriage and sex trafficking.

  9. The right to decide whether to have children, the number and spacing of their children, and to have the information, education, and access to health services to make these choices.

  10. The right to safe childbearing, with resources available to reduce maternal and infant morbidity and mortality.

References

1 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. FIGO Statement: Resolution on reproductive and sexual health. Washington, DC: 2000.  Available at: https://www.figo.org/resolution-reproductive-and-sexual-health-washington-dc-2000. Retrieved: July 1, 2021

2 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. FIGO Press Release: Resolution on professional and ethical responsibilities concerning sexual and reproductive rights. Santiago, 2003. Available at: https://www.figo.org/resolution-professional-and-ethical-responsibilities-concerning-sexual-and-reproductive-rights. Retrieved: July 1, 2021.

3 American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Committee on Ethics. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 646: Ethical considerations for including women as research participants. Obstet Gynecol 2015; 126: e100-e107.

Approved July 2012
Reaffirmed July 2015
Amended and Reaffirmed July 2018
Amended and Reaffirmed July 2021