According to the World Health Organisation, reproductive health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in all matters relating to the reproductive system and to its functions and processes. Reproductive health implies that people are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life, and that they have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so.

While reproductive health in itself is an important area of intervention, it is even more important to focus on the category of adolescents. Adolescents constitute a particularly vulnerable section of the population, experience growth that includes the onset of puberty and associated bodily changes. This makes reproductive health an especially relevant area of need to ensure the overall health and wellbeing of this community. Within the adolescent population, specific attention needs to be paid to young girls, especially from rural backgrounds, for whom the lack of access to reproductive healthcare could result in teenage pregnancies, reproductive tract infections (RTIs), unsafe abortions as well as social and psychological consequences including discontinuation of education and mental health issues.

While reflecting on the data and laws that interact to form the adolescent reproductive healthcare landscape, it is important to recognize that the issue of reproductive health lies at the intersection of the right to life, right to nutrition and food, right to sanitation, right to education, and the right to informed consent. Access to quality reproductive healthcare will also ensure the right of freedom against violence and coercion. Given the wide-reaching influences that together constitute the right to reproductive health, it is necessary to adopt a multi-pronged approach when formulating policies and recommendations in this space