One local non-governmental organisation (NGO) has pledged continued support for the sexual and reproductive rights of women in the face of a raging debate in the United States about abortion laws. Executive Director of the Barbados Family Planning Association (BFPA) Anderson Langdon declared that efforts to reduce unplanned pregnancy ought to focus on increased education about practising safe sex, as he also called for reform of the secondary school curriculum in subjects like health and family life education.Over the last two weeks, the BFPA has shared numerous messages on social media supporting and explaining women’s “right to choose”.“Being pro-choice shows a respect and understanding for others’ bodily autonomy — a vital human right,” stated one BFPA message on Instagram.“We stand for women’s right to choose. We are pro-reproductive rights.”The messages followed a US Supreme Court decision in late June that removed a constitutional right to abortion that had been upheld for nearly 50 years.In Barbados, such rights have been protected since the 1980s, and according to the BFPA executive, they are directly linked to the country’s social and economic progress.
