Legal aspects related to the access of natural family planning services: patient’s right to accurate and impartial information

Abstract

Natural family planning methods historically were considered as a separate group of family planning methods as opposed to conventional contraception methods. In the 60‘s of the last century family planning have become an international demographic policy issue and lately it was included into the international public health agenda. Since that time natural family planning experienced a radical transformation in conceptual terms, accompanied by terminological chaos. In the last two decades the term of natural family planning as autonomous concept was almost completely eliminated from the language of international intergovernmental organizations, such as World Health Organization. Natural family planning methods terminologically now are incorporated into the concept of contraception, contrasting them with the so-called „effective modern contraceptive methods“. Two relevant conclusions could be drawn from that. Firstly, these above mentioned terminological innovations arise from working definitions developed by various internal working groups, lack transparency and thus they may not be formally considered as legally or politically binding international community. Secondly, the marginalization of effective natural family planning methods from the agenda of healthcare and the exclusive promotion of “effective modern contraception“ work against the rights and the interests of patients to receive unbiased and comprehensive information about healthcare services and to make an autonomous decision.