RESOLUTION NO. 220575
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RESOLUTION - Declaring reproductive rights are fundamental human rights and criminalizing access to reproductive rights is a form of discrimination against women, girls and others who can become pregnant.
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WHEREAS, reproductive rights are basic healthcare needs for millions of women, girls and others who can become pregnant; and
WHEREAS, individuals exercising their reproductive rights must be afforded privacy, dignity, respect and support, and should be able to make their own medical decisions without undue interference by outside parties; and
WHEREAS, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the leading medical organization dedicated to the health of individuals in need of gynecologic and obstetric care, supports the availability of high-quality reproductive health services for all people; and
WHEREAS, research provides evidence that access to reproductive health resources makes it possible for women, birth givers and their families to have healthy and economically productive lives; and
WHEREAS, those who are already marginalized, including women and girls on low income, refugees and migrants, adolescents, members of the LGBTQ+ community and women of color and Indigenous women, are disproportionately affected by the criminalization or restriction of reproductive rights and have no means to seek safe and legal services or access private care; and
WHEREAS, restricting or criminalizing reproductive rights is a violation of human rights, including the rights to privacy and bodily autonomy; and
WHEREAS, the committee for the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) has consistently stated that restrictive reproductive rights constitute discrimination against women and people who can become pregnant; and
WHEREAS, this resolution is supported by and in coordination with the Gender Equity Task Force of the Kansas City Human Rights Commission; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:
That reproductive rights are fundamental human rights and criminalizing access to reproductive rights is a form of discrimination against women, girls and others who can become pregnant.
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