Abstract

PIP: This general discussion of the importance of respecting client's rights and access to a choice of methods relies on the statements of researchers and family planners from a variety of international and private organizations which reiterate the features of successful programs. The emphasis on client's rights is a change for many programs. The example is given of a clinic in Niger that posts the list of client rights to accessibility, information, education, communication, and freedom of choice. Pressure from international groups focuses on promoting client's informed and voluntary choice of family planning (FP) method, because it assures continuation. Quality of care is directly related to continuation of care. The quality of care framework of Judith Bruce, from the Population Council, identifies the first and most fundamental element in assuring quality of service to be choice of method. The UN assures that contraceptive choice is a basic human right. The International Planned Parenthood (IPPF) Medical and Service Delivery Guidelines proposes 10 client rights; this list of rights has been widely distributed as a poster. IPPF's African director states that contraceptive prevalence is low because of a lack of quality care. Women's rights have been integrated into FP and promoted in the Safe Motherhood Initiative and in the focus of the International Decade for Women, 1975-85. The International Women's Health Coalition, which is an alliance of over 100 women's organizations from 50 countries, has released a "Women's Declaration on Population Policies" at UN headquarters, which calls for provision of reproductive health care, not just technology, for fertility management by women. Policy makers and planners are urged to provide access to wide contraceptive choices, pregnancy care, safe abortion, prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), development of new technology for protection against STDs, and encouragement of men to take responsibility for sexual behavior. Other organizations with a stated commitment to women's rights were indicated as the Population Council, the Bangladesh Women's Health Coalition, WHO FP and Population, the Association for Voluntary Surgical Sterilization, the FP Association of India, Family Health International, and BEMFAM in Brazil.