Debunking Sexual and Reproductive Health (and Rights)

It is critical to understand the worldwide agenda behind the term Sexual and Reproductive Health(SRH). SRH used to mean having a healthy sexual and reproductive system with the absence of disease or dysfunction. But its meaning has been corrupted, making it one of the most controversial terms globally.

According to (WHO, 2015) Sexual Health, Human Rights and the Law ,  SRH has proved to be a trojan horse for Abortion, Homosexuality, Prostitution et.c

‘‘Sexual health … encompasses not only certain aspects of reproductive health – such as being able to control one’s fertility through access to contraception and abortion, but also, the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences.’’ (Pg 1 Executive Summary)

‘‘Indeed, it has become clear that human sexuality includes many different forms of behaviour and expression, and that the recognition of the diversity of sexual behaviour and expression contributes to people’s overall sense of well-being and health.’’ (Pg 1 Executive Summary)

‘‘All countries should work toward decriminalization of sex work and elimination of the unjust application of non-criminal laws and regulations against people engaged in sex work’’. (Pg 28, 3.4.10-People engaged in sex work).

‘‘Various countries around the world have legalized same-sex marriages to protect fundamental human rights, including access to health services and social benefits’’ (Pg 21, 3.4.2 – Marital Status)

‘‘for people whose deeply felt gender does not correspond to their sex assigned at birth, access to hormonal treatment or gender reassignment surgery, or other treatment, may be needed for the protection of their health including their sexual health.’’  (Pg 14, 3.1- Introduction)

The EU Parliament's adopted Matic Report revealed that SRHR included Abortion, Homosexuality et.c

B. .. sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are, according to the WHO, an umbrella term for various issues affecting all persons and representing four separate areas: sexual health, sexual rights, reproductive health and reproductive rights, and they are based on the rights of all individuals to have their bodily integrity, privacy and personal autonomy respected; have their sexual orientation and gender identity fully respected; to decide whether, with whom and when to be sexually active; to have safe sexual experiences, decide whether, when and who to marry, whether and by what means to have a child or children, and how many children; …; (Pg 7/39)

J. whereas SRH services are essential healthcare services that should be available to all and include comprehensive, evidence-based and age-appropriate sexuality and relationship education; information, confidential and unbiased counselling and services for sexual and reproductive health and well-being; information and counselling on modern contraception, as well as access to a wide range of modern contraceptives; antenatal, childbirth and postnatal care; midwifery; obstetric and newborn care; safe and legal abortion care and services,…(Pg 9/39)

For the sake of our children, we must demand any and all provisions to SRH(R) to be deleted from our Public Policies.

See More:

1. 7 Mins Video Clip Road to Nairobi
2. 4 Mins Video Clip Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH)
3. 5 Mins Video Clip Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)

Why Uganda should reject the EAC SRH Bill 2021

National Consultations were undertaken at the end of 2021 in the different East African Community States and Public Hearings in the last week of June 2022 on the EAC SRH Bill,2021. In August 2016, the Parliament of Uganda banned the teaching, training, conduct and dissemination of comprehensive sexuality education materials to all schools in Uganda due to its Harmful Elements.  Albeit, the East African Community Sexual and Reproductive Health (EAC SRH) Bill, by Hon. Kennedy Mukulia Ayason is to be debated at the EALA, the said bill is an Introduction of the banned Comprehensive Sexuality Education at regional Level.

Contrary to Article 22 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda 1995, the Bill in clauses 2 (d), 6 (3) (n), 16, 17 (1), 17 (2), 17 (3), 18 (1) seeks to legalize Abortion.  Life Begins at Conception and ends with natural death. The child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity needs appropriate legal protection before as well as after birth. Therefore, no legislation should promote any form of termination of life but rather seek to ensure the sanctity of Life.

The Bill, in clauses 6 (3) (b) , 6 (3) (h), 7 (1) , 7 (2) , 8,  9 (6) (a), 9(6)(d) Seeks to Legalize Comprehensive Sexuality Education, which according to stopCSE.org, has  Harmful Concepts such as teaching  children to masturbate, acceptance and exploration of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, high risk sexual behaviors (including anal and oral sex),  sexual pleasure and promiscuity as a right for children,  promotes  abortion as safe and without consequences,   encourages children to experiment sexually with individuals of their own sex or the opposite sex, promotes condoms to children without informing them of their failure rates,   promotes disrespect for parents and religious and cultural values among others.

 

More so the Bill, in clauses 2 (a), 2 (b), 6 (1), 6 (2), 6 (3) (a), 6 (3) (i), 6 (3) (o), 9 (1), 9 (2), 9 (5) 10, 11 (1), 11 (2), 15 (1), 15 (2) (a), 27 (1), 27 (2), 28 (1), 28 (3), seeks to legalize Sexual and Reproductive Health, which according to (WHO, 2015) Sexual Health, Human Rights and the Law ,  has proved to be a trojan horse for Abortion, Homosexuality, Prostitution.

These concepts for Instance Homosexuality promoted by Comprehensive Sexuality Education and Sexual and Reproductive Health are not only contrary to our cultural and religious values but also to articles 31 (1) and 31 (3) of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda 1995.

 

For the sake of our Children, we need to disregard and reject the contents of this Bill in total and appeal to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) not to let the bill be enacted in law.

More:

The War on Children

The SRH Agenda

Problematic Provisions in NDP III

 

Uganda’s (National Development Plan) NDP III is infiltrated with problematic and controversial terms that are points of contention between the liberal western world and conservative countries in UN negotiations.

The NDP III has aspires to Increase access to Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) and Rights (Pg 175), which according to (WHO, 2015) Sexual Health, Human Rights and the Law ,  has proved to be a trojan horse for Abortion, Homosexuality, Prostitution among others. See  Sexual & Reproductive Health (SRH) , Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)

NDP III also mentions sexual and reproductive health information and services (Pg 170), information on Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) (Pg 165) , which are useful euphemisms for, Comprehensive Sexuality Education, which according to stopCSE.org, has  Harmful Concepts such as teaching  children to masturbate, homosexuality ,  abortion,    condoms to children,    disrespect for parents and religious and cultural values among others. See  The War on Children

Some ambiguous terms included gender mainstreaming (Pg 84), gender-based violence (Pg 88, Pg 176, Pg 187, Pg 188), gender sensitive (Pg 110), gender response (Pg 113), gender inequality (Pg 172, Pg 176, Pg 186), and Gender equality (Pg 176, Pg 176) among others.

 

How “Gender” Terms are Often Used or Interpreted:

•  “gender-sensitive” = LGBT-sensitive
• “gender-based violence” = LGBT-based violence

 

Gender-based violence” has been defined to encompass denial of abortion and violence against LGBT people e.g In General Comment 35 on gender-based violence, the CEDAW Committee declared the “criminalization of abortion” to be a form of “gender-based violence”

The UN Women FAQs  on types of violence against women and girls states  “The term [gender-based violence] is also sometimes used to describe targeted violence against LGBTQI+ populations, when referencing violence related to norms of masculinity/femininity and/or gender norms.”

The state of Oregon in the U.S. defines “gender sensitive” as Materials and instruction strategies that is sensitive to individual’s similarities and differences regarding gender role, gender identity and/or sexual orientation.

For the sake of our children, Let's demand any and all provisions to such controversial Terms to be deleted from not only the NDP but also all Public Policies.

See some Recommended Actions for NPA to cleanse the Policy Document

Problematic Terms in Uganda’s NDP III & Recommended Action

 

No.	Problematic Terms	Recommended Action
1.	6. Increase access to Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) and Rights[1] with special focus on family planning services and harmonised information Pg 175	6. Increase access to Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) and Rights with special focus on family planning services and harmonised information quality, affordable and accessible health care for women Pg 175
2.	9. Provide a framework for gender[2] mainstreaming, equity and human rights and eradication of child labour in the mining industry Pg 84	9. Provide a framework for gender mainstreaming equal opportunities for women and girls, equity and human rights and eradication of child labour in the mining industry Pg 84
3.	184 With careful planning and implementation, the oil and gas industry has the opportunity to contribute across all development indicators, either by enhancing its positive contributions or by avoiding or mitigating negative impacts to ensure that “no one is left behind”. …. the challenges that all development agendas seek to address, mainly climate change and environmental degradation, population displacement, economic and social inequality, armed conflicts, gender-based violence[3], tax evasion and corruption, increased risk of certain health problems, and the violation of human rights... Pg 88	184 With careful planning and implementation, the oil and gas industry has the opportunity to contribute across all development indicators, either by enhancing its positive contributions or by avoiding or mitigating negative impacts to ensure that “no one is left behind”. …. the challenges that all development agendas seek to address, mainly climate change and environmental degradation, population displacement, economic and social inequality, armed conflicts, gender-based violence against women, tax evasion and corruption, increased risk of certain health problems, and the violation of human rights... Pg 88
4.	e. Establish functional gender sensitive regional and zonal management committee for water resources; Pg 110	e. Establish functional gender sensitive effective regional and zonal management committee for water resources that take into account the different needs of women/girls; Pg 110
5.	b. Build gender response capacity in climate change monitoring and evaluation through integration in local government performance assessment and national monitoring frameworks; Pg 113	b. Build gender response capacity in climate change monitoring and evaluation systems that ensure equal access to resources for women through integration in local government performance assessment and national monitoring frameworks; Pg 113
6.	5) To reduce vulnerability and gender inequality along the lifecycle; and Pg 172	5) To reduce vulnerability and gender inequality between women and men along the lifecycle; and Pg 172
7.	Objective 5: Reduce vulnerability and gender inequality along the lifecycle Pg 176	Objective 5: Reduce vulnerability and gender inequality between women and men along the lifecycle Pg 176
8.	6. Scale up Gender Based Violence (GBV) prevention and response interventions at all levels Pg 176	6. Scale up Gender Based Violence against women (GBV) prevention and response interventions at all levels Pg 176
9.	7. Support Gender equality and Equity Responsive Budgeting in all Sectors and Local Governments Pg 176	7. Support Gender equality between women and men and Equity Responsive Budgeting in all Sectors and Local Governments Pg 176
10.	8. Implement a National Male Involvement Strategies in promotion of gender equality Pg 176	8. Implement a National Male Involvement Strategies in promotion of gender equality between women and men Pg 176
11.	(ix) Reduction in prevalence of negative social norms and cultural practices that perpetuate gender inequality Pg 186	(ix) Reduction in prevalence of negative social norms and cultural practices that perpetuate gender inequality between women and men Pg 186
12.	416 There are several behavioural barriers to adoption of positive mind sets cushioned by long years of social conditioning. … High rates of child marriages, teenage pregnancies, gender-based violence, female genital mutilation (FGM), and child sacrifice are manifestation of a failing social safety net Pg 187	416 There are several behavioural barriers to adoption of positive mind sets cushioned by long years of social conditioning. … High rates of child marriages, teenage pregnancies, gender-based violence against women and girls, female genital mutilation (FGM), and child sacrifice are manifestation of a failing social safety net Pg 187
13.	418 Participation of cultural and religious institutions in community development programmes has not been institutionalized. .., some cultures still practise negative cultural behaviours such as child sacrifice, child marriages, FGM, gender-based violence (GBV) and limited use of indigenous knowledge to support creative industries Pg 188	418 Participation of cultural and religious institutions in community development programmes has not been institutionalized. .., some cultures still practise negative cultural behaviours such as child sacrifice, child marriages, FGM, gender-based violence against women and girls (GBV) and limited use of indigenous knowledge to support creative industries Pg 188
14.	364 However, Uganda’s human capital is characterised by low labour productivity (38 percent), low human development (HDI at 0.516) and fewer STEI graduates (2 out of 5 are STEI graduates). This is mainly attributed to: (i) weak foundation for human capital; … limited information[4] on Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH); … (ix) gender and other inequalities... Pg 165	364 However, Uganda’s human capital is characterised by low labour productivity (38 percent), low human development (HDI at 0.516) and fewer STEI graduates (2 out of 5 are STEI graduates). This is mainly attributed to: (i) weak foundation for human capital; … limited information on Sexual and Reproductive Optimal Health (SRH); … (ix) gender and other inequalities against women and girls... Pg 165
15.	from the lowest wealth quintile compared to 15 percent from the highest quintile; HIV prevalence increases rapidly with age in this age group, most especially among adolescent girls where it increases from 0.5 percent at 15 years to 5.1 percent by 20 years; … low access to sexual and reproductive health information and services; … and gender related exclusions from socio-economic opportunities, contravening the leave no one behind agenda. . Pg 170	from the lowest wealth quintile compared to 15 percent from the highest quintile; HIV prevalence increases rapidly with age in this age group, most especially among adolescent girls where it increases from 0.5 percent at 15 years to 5.1 percent by 20 years; … low access to sexual and reproductive health information and services vital health; … and gender related exclusions from socio-economic opportunities based on one’s sex. . Pg 170
16.	Gender[5]	Replace “gender” with “sex” Define gender as male and female

 

---

[1] Sexual and Reproductive Health, which according to (WHO, 2015) Sexual Health, Human Rights and the Law ,  has proved to be a trojan horse for Abortion, Homosexuality, Prostitution among others. See  Sexual & Reproductive Health (SRH) , Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)

[2] How “Gender” Terms are Often Used or Interpreted:

“gender analysis” = LGBT analysis

“gender-sensitive” = LGBT-sensitive

“gender-based violence” = LGBT-based violence

“based on gender” = based on LGBT status

“gender-sensitive schools” = LGBT-sensitive schools

 

[3] “Gender-based violence” has been defined to encompass denial of abortion and violence against LGBT people e.g In General Comment 35 on gender-based violence, the CEDAW Committee declared the “criminalization of abortion” to be a form of “gender-based violence that, depending on the circumstances, may amount to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.”( Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. (2017). General recommendation No. 35 on gender based violence against women, updating general recommendation No. 19. CEDAW/C/GC/35.)

 

[4] This is a useful euphemism for, Comprehensive Sexuality Education, which according to stopCSE.org, has  Harmful Concepts such as teaching  children to masturbate, homosexuality ,  abortion,    condoms to children,    disrespect for parents and religious and cultural values among others. See details here The War on Children

 

[5] The term “gender” was once used exclusively to describe biological sex (male and female) but is increasingly being used in UN documents to mainstream multiple controversial genders, such as transgender, bigender, pangender and evolved to encompass over 80-100Genders. See the Master List of Gender Diversities.  (Facebook recognizes over 50 genders.)