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Critical Introduction - The Meaning of Sexual Health
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What is Sexual Health?
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As of today, there are at least four "official" definitions of sexual health:
- The World Health Organization (WHO), in 1975, provided a first definition in a report about the sexological training of health professionals.
- This was augmented in a second report of 2001 which resulted from the cooperation of the WHO with the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Association of Sexology (WAS).
- Also in 2001, the US Surgeon General issued A Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health and Responsible Sexual Behavior. In this document, he practically adopted the previous definitions provided by the WHO.
- In 2002, the WHO published a refined and amended definition on its web site section on gender and reproductive rights.
These definitions have proved useful in many respects. However, they have also encountered criticism.
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