Human Rights in Health Equity: Cervical Cancer and HPV Vaccines

Abstract

This article seeks to demonstrate that health equity, as an empirical and normative concept, is reflected in the human rights to health and equality under international law. The obligations on government that flow from health equity as a human right are then examined. These include the obligation to act in pursuit of health equity as a policy objective, and the obligation to enact measures to ensure health equity as a policy outcome. These obligations are considered in relation to a promising remedial measure for social disparities in cervical cancer: HPV vaccines.

Keywords: health equity, cervical cancer, vaccine, human papilloma virus vaccination, HPV, human rights, health policy

JEL Classification: K10, J13, I18, I10