A Tool for the Right to Development: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
by Natalia de León Tello
The Right to Development (RtD) includes certain key aspects—chief among them that development should be human-centered, aiming to improve the well-being of all individuals, not just economic growth or infrastructure. RtD also means that everyone has the right to participate in, contribute to, and enjoy the benefits of development, both locally and globally. Nations and peoples have the right to freely determine their own development paths.
But how can women and girls choose their own paths if they don’t even have autonomy over their own bodies?
Today, more than 12 million girls under 18 give birth each year in low- and middle-income countries. That’s about 33,000 girls every single day—most of whom are forced to leave school, give up dreams, and step into roles they didn’t choose. The Right to Development does not exist for these girls and women, who must pause studies, stop working, and raise children—often in conditions of poverty, discrimination, and exclusion.
Sexual and reproductive rights are not just a subset of human rights—they are the foundation of a just and inclusive society. When women and girls have access to information, services, and the freedom to make choices about their bodies, they are empowered to stay in school, build careers, participate in politics, and contribute meaningfully to their communities.
This is development. This is freedom.
Let’s be clear: development is not development if it leaves half the population behind. A road, a building, or a rise in GDP means little if a young girl is denied access to contraception, forced into early marriage, or has to give birth without basic healthcare. These are not just violations of rights—they are barriers to development itself.
Sexual and reproductive health services—including access to contraception, safe abortion, maternal care, and comprehensive sexuality education—are tools of empowerment. They reduce child marriage, lower maternal mortality, and allow women and girls to plan their futures—not just react to them.
“Sexual and reproductive health services—including access to contraception, safe abortion, maternal care, and comprehensive sexuality education—are tools of empowerment.”
And this isn’t just a moral argument—it’s a practical one. According to UNFPA, every dollar spent on contraception saves up to $8 in healthcare, education, and social services. Investing in reproductive health is not only right—it’s smart.
So, what must we do?
Remove legal and cultural barriers that block access to SRHR services.
Fund comprehensive education programs that empower youth with knowledge—not shame.
Listen to young people, especially girls, and include them in policymaking.
Fight stigma that still surrounds sexual and reproductive rights around the world.
Above all, we must stop treating these rights as optional. They are essential. They are non-negotiable. Without them, there is no Right to Development—only the perpetuation of inequality.
“We must stop treating these rights as optional. They are essential. They are non-negotiable. Without them, there is no Right to Development—only the perpetuation of inequality.”
Let us remember: Development is not just about building nations. It’s about building lives—with dignity, with freedom, with choice.
And no one should have to choose between motherhood and education, between bodily autonomy and participation in society.
The Right to Development begins with the right to choose— and that right must belong to every girl, every woman, everywhere.