Bodily autonomy is fundamental to abortion rights, access and justice, but it’s important to remember that bodily autonomy is also central to all aspects of social justice. Anti-racism, disability rights LGBTQ + issues, feminism or sex work are all centred around the right to make decisions about your own body, life and future without coercion, violence or interference. In the words of Sibongile Ndashe ‘The body is the place where all struggles are located’.
How does the mantra ‘my body my choice’ apply and to who? Within this topic, you can explore genuine bodily autonomy: power, agency, choice and dignity and the collective activism which challenges and dismantles the norms, laws and practices that deprive people of their autonomy.
You can explore these issues by completing an online learning course. There’s also a collection of other learning resources for you to explore, including interviews, activities and podcasts. Enjoy and recharge your autonomy!
Online Learning
“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights agreements underscore that bodily autonomy is a fundamental right. People must be able and empowered to freely and responsibly make decisions about their own bodies, including if, when and how many children to have.”
The right to have control over our own bodies is seen as a fundamental human right. But what does the term ‘Bodily Autonomy’ mean in practice? In this session you’ll hear from real people about their perspectives on Bodily Autonomy and complete a range of interactive activities to explore the following questions:
What is Bodily Autonomy and Bodily Integrity?
What does promoting bodily autonomy and bodily integrity mean in practice?
Do governments guarantee the bodily autonomy and bodily integrity of all citizens?
Who might want to undermine the promotion of bodily autonomy and bodily integrity? And why?
The learning activities should take you about 45 minutes to complete. We’ve broken it down into bitesize pieces of 10-20 minutes each so you can learn at a time and pace that suits you.
