“ 1 ) The right not to have a child , 2 ) The right to have a child ,
3 ) The right to parent children in safe and healthy environments .” 11
These three principles are accompanied by two further claims . The first is at the very centre of reproductive justice , stating that , “ all fertile persons and persons who reproduce and become parents require a safe and dignified context for these most fundamental human experiences .” 12 All who reproduce , therefore , must have accessible resources . These resources include , but are not limited to adequate health care , wages for parents , housing and education . These are essential for safe fertility management , birth and parenting . 13 The second claim states that , “ access to these material resources is justified on the grounds that safe and dignified fertility management , childbirth , and parenting together constitute a fundamental human right .” 14 I would like to emphasise here the words ‘ safe and dignified .’ It follows that when a person is disrespected or humiliated , their right to reproductive justice is compromised . This includes embarrassing interactions with medical practitioners , such as being misgendered .
Government has a duty to uphold our human rights . There is , however , a distinction between positive human rights and negative . Our positive human rights obligate government to ensure we can exercise freedom and enjoy being a part of a society , whereas negative rights require government to refrain from interference with our personal autonomy . 15 This distinction is crucial , as it helps us to claim government interference in our reproductive processes is a “ blow against [ our ] humanity – that is , against [ our ] rights as human beings ” 16 as they cannot interfere with our autonomy , and everyone has the right to reproduce .
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