Health and rights concerning sexuality and reproduction

The European Parliament adopted its own-initiative report drafted by Anne VAN LANCKER (PES, Belgium) on sexual and reproductive health and rights. (Please refer to the document dated 04/06/02.) Parliament recommended that Member States and candidate countries develop a high quality national policy on sexual and reproductive health, in cooperation with plural civil society organisations. They must provide comprehensive information concerning effective and responsible methods of family planning, and ensuring equal access to all forms of high quality contraceptive methods as well as fertility awareness methods. Access to the morning-after pill should be facilitated. Parliament also urged research in the field of male contraception. Finally, it drew attention to the devastating impact of the Mexico City Policy of the Bush Administration, which denies funding to NGOs referring women to abortion clinics as a last resort. The effects are felt especially with regard to programmes for Central and Eastern Europe. The Commission is asked to fill in the budgetary gap provoked by the Mexico City Policy.�