My body is my own (UNFPA, 2021). Bodily autonomy is the right to control and the freedom to decide about what happens to their bodies (The Autistic Self Advocacy Network, ASAN, 2022). When bodily autonomy is respected: no assumptions of what a person needs or how they will be met (Stanfield, 2021), no external interferences, social or legal sanctions, coercion, violence, and discrimination (UN, 2024) are exercised on the individual. Bodily Autonomy is present in all areas of life, such as sexual and reproductive rights, medical or physical care, individual and private concerns, societal and cultural, political, economic, and legal decisions. Without control over our own bodies, women of all ages, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex (LGBTI) persons, sex workers, people who use drugs, people with disabilities, and other marginalized and vulnerable groups cannot enjoy their full rights (ASAN, 2022; AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa, ARASA, n.d.). The following text provides examples of forced medical procedures and illustrates systemic discrimination, exclusion and oppression.
Framing & Perspectives
The right to make decisions about one’s own body and life belongs to people of all genders, sexual orientations, occupations, body types, abilities, neurodiverse experiences, cultural backgrounds, and socioeconomic statuses. In practice, restrictions, laws, and social control mechanisms often prevent this (Feminist Action Lab, n.d.; ASAN, 2022). Bodies are shaped by facing discrimination, violence, societal and cultural norms that impose gendered and ableist assumptions about worth and capacity. Such narratives support conservative governments and far-right movements, limiting bodily autonomy rights, such as the 2021 Polish Constitutional Court decision illegalizing abortion access or laws criminalizing certain identities or sexual orientations (Feminist Action Lab, n.d.). In some U.S. states, forced sterilizations continue to occur in prisons, where incarcerated individuals are coerced into sterilization in exchange for reduced sentences, violating true consent and autonomy (ASAN, 2022).
Many violations of bodily autonomy are institutionalized (part of society’s rules or systems, like laws or policies), e.g. denying young people reproductive healthcare and education based on beliefs that they should not have sex (MSI United States, n.d.). Access to knowledge and healthcare is crucial for bodily autonomy, yet women, LGBTQI+ individuals, sex workers, people with disabilities, people of color, Indigenous peoples, immigrants, refugees, those living in poverty, and elderly individuals often lack access to affordable and affirming healthcare, treatment, or unbiased information. This limits their ability to make informed decisions about contraception, pregnancy, gender-affirming treatments, and STI protection (Feminist Action Lab, n.d.; MSI United States, n.d.; Wingo et al., 2018; UN, 2024). For example, people with disabilities may struggle to access abortion due to mobility challenges, inaccessible environments, or laws that fail to address pregnancies that exacerbate disabilities (ASAN, 2022). Transgender and non-binary individuals face stigma when seeking gender-affirming treatments or reproductive healthcare, and sex workers encounter criminalization and discrimination, further limiting access to necessary services (ARASA TALP, n.d.; Darling, 2022).
To protect bodily autonomy, consent and the right to privacy, e.g., the government not interfering with someone’s sexual orientation, are important key aspects. Consent must be freely given, specific, and revocable, requiring comprehensive information to ensure informed decisions (Feminist Action Lab, n.d.). For instance, when seeking contraceptives, patients must understand all options, and medical practitioners must respect their decisions. Laws that criminalize aspects of sexuality or reproduction often, either directly or indirectly, exclude specific groups of people, e.g., laws against abortion hinder people who cannot afford or are physically not able to travel to countries where abortion is legal and have to undergo unsafe backstreet abortion or sex workers who face criminalization, incarceration, or deportation (ARASA TALP, n.d.; Darling, 2022). Even in countries where abortion is legal oftentimes transgender, non-binary people or sex workers often do not have access to these services. Laws criminalizing cross-dressing disproportionately target trans and gender-nonconforming individuals, violating their freedom of expression and compounding systemic discrimination (ARASA TALP, n.d.).
Relevance
Through the lens of bodily autonomy, intersectional discrimination expresses how oppressive norms and systems shape societies. By 2021, only 55% of women were able to make their own decisions about things like whether to use contraception or have sex (UNFPA, 2021). For LGBTQ* individuals, qualitative and affirmative healthcare is even more difficult to access since providers often lack knowledge about LGBTQ health in addition to the fear of discrimination in healthcare settings (e.g., Bonvicini & Perlin, 2003; James, SE et al., 2016; Poteat, German, & Kerrigan, 2013; Roberts & Fantz, 2014; in Wingo et al., 2018, p. 15). Depriving people of bodily autonomy causes and reinforces inequalities, gender-based violence, and discrimination (UNFPA, 2021). Being able to make fundamental choices about their own body enhances autonomy, health, education, income, and safety. This ability ranges from small daily interactions, such as relatives pushing children to hug them to areas of sexuality and reproduction.
Keywords: Human rights, Consent, Systemic Oppression, Healthcare Access, Coercion, Stigma, Criminalization, Informed Decisions
Connected Terms: Body Liberation, Human Trafficking, Reproductive Rights, Yes Means Yes, Gender-Based Violence
References
ARASA TALP (n.d.). Bodily Autonomy, Bodily Integrity and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. Retrieved 6th December 2024 from https://arasa.info/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/TALP-Module-1-BAI-.pdf
Feminist Action Lab (n.d.). Bodily Autonomy, and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. Retrieved 6th December, 2024 from https://feministactionlab.restlessdevelopment.org/bodily-autonomy-srhr/#:~:text=Bodily%20autonomy%20is%20the%20right,to%20reproduce%20and%20much%20more.
Darling, M (2022). My body, My Choice: Why the Decriminalization of Sex Work is Essential for Reproductive Justice. O’Neil Institute. Retrieved 19.12.2024 from https://oneill.law.georgetown.edu/my-body-my-choice-why-the-decriminalization-of-sex-work-is-essential-for-reproductive-justice
MSI United States (n.d.). My body, my choice: Defending bodily autonomy. Retrieved 6th December 2024 from https://www.msiunitedstates.org/my-body-my-choice-defending-bodily-autonomy/
UN OHCHR Statements (2024). Bodily autonomy, dignity and freedom of choice. Retrieved 6th December, 2024 from https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2024/09/bodily-autonomy-dignity-and-freedom-choice-must-be-respected-say-un-experts
UNFPA (2021). State of World’s Population Report 2021. Retrieved 6th December, 2024 from https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/SoWP2021_Report_-_EN_web.3.21_0.pdf
United Nations Populations Fund (n.d.). Retrieved 6th December, 2024 from https://www.unfpa.org/sowp-2021/autonomy
Resilience (2024). Body Autonomy and Survivor Safety. Retrieved 6th December 2024 from https://resiliencemi.org/body-autonomy/
Stanfield, Brent L. (2021). Trans Feminist Virtue Ethics: An Infrapolitical Queer Theology. Currents in Theology and Mission 48:3 (July 2021).
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (2022). Bodily Autonomy and the Right to Privacy: What They Are, How They Affect People with Disabilities, and Why We Need to Protect Them. Retrieved 19.12.2024 from https://autisticadvocacy.org/actioncenter/issues/repro/autonomy/
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (2022). Abortion: What it is and why it matters to people with disabilities. Retrieved 19.12.2024 from https://autisticadvocacy.org/actioncenter/issues/repro/abortion/?_rt=MnwxfGJvZGlseSBhdXRvbm9teXwxNzM0NjA0ODk1&_rt_nonce=f115d25748
Wingo, E., Ingraham, N., & Roberts, S. C. M. (2018). Reproductive Health Care Priorities and Barriers to Effective Care for LGBTQ People Assigned Female at Birth: A Qualitative Study. Women’s Health Issues, 28(4), 350–357.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2018.03.002
