Sexual freedom is a fundamental human right. It is at the heart of human dignity, equality, and civil liberties embodied in both the U.S. Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Human sexuality cannot be prescribed or legislated, and is a natural, fundamental, and precious aspect of life. Only when we acknowledge, protect, and celebrate sexual freedom can we realize human rights as a whole.
Fundamental Human Rights critical to the realization of sexual freedom include:
- the rights to equality and non-discrimination
- the right to be free from torture or to cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment
- the right to privacy
- the rights to the highest attainable standard of health (including sexual health) and social security
- the right to marry and to found a family and enter into marriage with the free and full consent of the intending spouses, and to equality in and at the dissolution of marriage
- the right to decide the number and spacing of one’s children
- the rights to information, as well as education
- the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, and
- the right to an effective remedy for violations of fundamental rights.