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Government quietly removes commitments to women’s rights after summit on freedom of beliefs
References to ‘sexual and reproductive health and rights’ and ‘bodily autonomy’ have been removed from the FCDO statement
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss addresses the international ministerial conference on freedom of religion or belief in London. Picture date: Tuesday July 5, 2022.re
The international ministerial conference on freedom of religion or belief was held in London on 5 and 6 July
Commitments to abortion and sexual health rights have been quietly removed by the Government from an international pact on freedom of belief and gender equality.
References to repealing discriminatory laws that threaten women’s “sexual and reproductive health and rights” and “bodily autonomy” have been removed from a statement published on the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) website.
The FCDO told i that access to sexual and reproductive health remained a priority and that the statement was amended to get rid of a perceived ambiguity – but did not specify the problem.
Sexual health activists said the amendments raised concerns about the UK Government’s position in the wake of abortion rights being rolled back in the US.
Lisa Hallgarten, head of policy and public affairs at Brook, which specialises in sexual health for younger people, told i: “The whole point of the original statement is to recognise the need to support the right to religious belief and practice, but ensure it is not at the expense of the fundamental rights of women and girls.
“By changing the language, the purpose and effect of this statement are fatally undermined, and religion appears to trump human rights.”
Stella Creasy, the Labour and Co-operative MP for Walthamstow, said of the amendments: “I think it reflects a worrying trend behind the scenes in Government to trade women’s human rights. Because there is no ambiguity, either you make a commitment to them or you don’t.
“The original [statement] makes a very clear commitment to sexual and reproductive rights and health, bodily autonomy and other laws, and recognises them as a source of discrimination. The amended version doesn’t.”
The original statement was released around the time of the London 2022 International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), hosted by the UK Government on Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 July.
Signed by 22 countries, it appeared on the FCDO website for about a week before it was removed.
When it reappeared, references to “sexual and reproductive health and rights” and “bodily autonomy” has been struck out, according to Humanists UK, which first identified the discrepancy.
What the FCDO statement said before:
“Uphold and protect gender equality, non-discrimination and freedom of religion or belief. Discriminatory personal status laws, laws that allow harmful practices, or restrict women’s and girls’ full and equal enjoyment of all human rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, bodily autonomy, and other laws that justify, condone, or reinforce violence, discrimination, or inequalities on the grounds of religion, belief or gender should be repealed.”
What the FCDO statement says now:
“Uphold and protect gender equality, non-discrimination and freedom of religion or belief. Challenge discriminatory laws that justify, condone, or reinforce violence, discrimination, or inequalities on the grounds of religion, belief or gender and that restrict women and girls’ full and equal enjoyment of human rights.”
The amended statement only has six signatories now: Greece, Italy, Malta, Slovenia, Ukraine and the UK.
Malta, which has one of the strictest abortion policies in the world, did not initially sign the statement.
Andrew Copson, chief executive of Humanists UK, who spoke at the FoRB conference, said: “The headline of this summit was freedom of belief for everyone, everywhere and the common government statement on gender made it clear that this was a real aspiration.
“Now that is in doubt. If a woman is not free in the most intimate, conscientious choice that could face her, then how is she free?
“The removal of support for conscientious freedom in relation to one’s own body is only the latest in concerningly frequent attempts by some to use freedom of belief as a weapon rather than a shield. They want to use their religious belief to infringe the rights of others – but that is not what the human right to freedom of religion or belief means.”
Marge Berer, a veteran abortion rights campaigner, called into question the Government’s stance on sexual and reproductive health, adding: “I think it’s absolutely unethical [to amend the statement] – we can never trust them to put out a statement.”
Ms Hallgarten added: “Vital as abortion rights are, it’s important to understand that sexual and reproductive rights and bodily autonomy encompass a much broader range of issues.”
“These include the right to information, contraception, and safe maternity care; to enjoy relationships free from coercion and violence; to be able to express your sexuality in any way that doesn’t harm another; the equal right to sexual pleasure; a whole range of issues relating to sexuality and gender; and then all the issues around protection from virginity testing, FGM and other harmful practices.
“By excising [sexual and reproductive health] language, the Government puts all these rights at risk.”
The FCDO said: “We amended the statement we made at the International Ministerial Conference to address a perceived ambiguity in the wording.
“The UK remains committed to defending universal access to comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR), and will continue working with other countries to protect gender equality in international agreements.”