Reproductive Human Rights: Defining the Legal Nature

The paper addresses contentious issues regarding the legal nature of reproductive human rights and their recognition in the Russian Federation. The author notes that a considerable body of scholarly work has emerged on this topic; however, a unified approach to assessing the legal nature of these rights has yet to be estab lished. An examination of the frameworks for recognizing reproductive human rights at the international level facilitates their acceptance as such within domestic legislation. The critical question remains whether reproductive human rights should be categorized as an independent group of rights. The author observes that in Russian legal doctrine, alongside the term «reproductive human rights», several derivative categories are mentioned, including reproductive health protection, sexual and reproductive rights, the right to reproductive choice, reproductive interest, reproduc tive freedom, biogenetic rights, and even more exotic concepts such as reproductive behavior. The inundation of scientific literature with these terms is a consequence of analyzing the accumulated understandings of reproductive legal norms in both domestic and international law. Reproductive human rights are inextricably linked to the sovereign rights of individuals; their recognition as such creates legal barriers to the realization of the rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation. The paper also presents specific legislative initiatives aimed at infringing upon individual autonomy.

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