Jornal de Pesquisa Clínica e Bioética

Abstrato

Preserving Health Rights of Female Sex Workers (FSWs): Are we doing Justice?

In Pakistani context where majority of the population are Muslims, prostitution is considered as stigma. Health providers often come across a challenge to provide optimal care to prostitutes when their own values and beliefs contradict with their professional obligations. This commentary article is based on a clinical case study in which a family planning counselor failed to respond to the contraceptive needs of a prostitute due to the non-supportive state policy for tubal ligation and provider's own values for the stigmatized profession. This paper introduces a question for all health providers whether this act was justifiable on the basis of human rights paradigm, right for autonomy and principal of non-maleficence. This article is a commentary against the incomplete state policy of family planning and ethical principles violated in this case.