Human Rights Council – 60th Session
Explanation of vote during adoption of resolution L.20/Rev 1 (oral rev)
Preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and human rights
Amendment pertaining to language on bodily autonomy A/HRC/60/L.40
Statement by Iceland
7 October 2025

Mr. President,

Bodily autonomy is a fundamental element of respectful maternal health care and essential to ensuring that women and girls can live free from violence and discrimination. At its core, bodily autonomy is the right to decide who can touch your body and how, it is the ability to set boundaries and to say no. This includes being free to make an informed choice about medical care during pregnancy. Without this, maternal health cannot be safe, dignified, or rights-based.

The denial of bodily autonomy has direct negative impact on the prevention of maternal mortality and morbidity. Harmful practices like female genital mutilation, early-, child-, and forced marriage, early pregnancy, and gender based and sexual violence all heighten the risk of complications and death. These are lived realities for millions of women and girls worldwide. Respecting bodily autonomy protects against human rights violations rooted in discrimination against women and girls.

Therefore, Iceland cannot support amendment L.40 proposed to draft resolution L.20/Rev.1 that seeks to weaken agreed language.

The Human Rights Council has repeatedly recognized bodily autonomy as a part of women’s and girls’ human rights, including in Preventable Maternal Mortality and Morbidity resolutions in 2021 and 2023. Further to this, this council affirmed bodily autonomy as a right in the DAWG resolution in 2020, reaffirmed in 2022 and 2024, as well as in the VAWG 2023 resolution.

To weaken or remove language on bodily autonomy would undermine the very purpose of the resolution and our shared responsibility to prevent maternal mortality and morbidity. Iceland will therefore vote against the amendment and urges all members to do the same.

Thank you.