In 1994, the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) took place in Cairo. It was hailed as a landmark conference in reflecting and concretising new ways of viewing reproduction. ‘Reproductive choice’, as outlined in the ICPD Programme of Action, implies that people are able to: have a satisfying and safe sex life (should they wish to have sex); decide if, when, and how often they have children; access information and the technologies for safe, effective, affordable, and acceptable methods of family planning of their choice; access other methods of their fertility regulation that are not against the law (e.g., abortion); and access appropriate health-care services that facilitate safe pregnancy and childbirth.

Decades later, the idea that women and men should enjoy freedom in choosing the ...