For Better, For Worse

This article addresses the extent to which provisions within Article 16 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights have influenced subsequent developments in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights. In particular, it assesses how the right to marry and to found a family, the requirement of free and full consent of intending spouses, and recognition of the family as the "natural and fundamental group unit of society" have affected service provision in this field. Other human rights instruments, such as the Women's Convention, have amplified these rights, but some issues within reproductive health continue to be limited by conventional interpretations of the family, as identified in the UDHR. While the language within Article 16 was clearly molded by the morality of the 1940s, it has, so far, proven to be flexible enough to encompass both social change and technological innovation.