The right to sexual and reproductive health of adolescents: problems of achieving the goals of sustainable development

The article proves that the range of issues related to reproductive and sexual health is an important area that requires a separate scientific review. At most, the current demand for analysis of adolescent reproductive health issues is due to the needs of the formation of the future generation, procreation and national prosperity of the state and nation. Objective of the study: to analyze the trends in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals regarding the appropriate level of provision and protection of reproductive and sexual health of adolescents and to identify social and cultural-legal obstacles in achieving the specified task. Materials and methods. The results of the research are based on the analytical information of international bodies and the data of the author’s survey, which was conducted during 2023–2024 in different regions of Ukraine, the respondents were 346 teenagers. Three groups of key problems in the field of ensuring the right to reproductive health of adolescents were formed and analyzed: problems caused by socio-cultural trends (early marriages, early sexualization and the tradition of genital mutilation); environmental problems and trends in the negative state of the nation’s health; shortcomings of the health care system and informing the population about contraception. Results. It was found that the health care system often provides information in a form that is not accessible to adolescents, does not provide an adequate level of sexuality education. The insufficient number of specialized and adapted reproductive health programs for adolescents disrupts the system of early disease prevention, contributes to an increase in the level of child pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, and other types of negative consequences. Conclusions. Shortcomings in the health care system, in particular, limited access to medical services, lack of specialists with appropriate qualifications, gaps in financing, etc., are a significant gap for the implementation of the studied right. Attention is drawn to the duty of a democratic state to create a system of providing medical services adapted for adolescents, which includes information and a mechanism of access to contraception, providing medical and preventive services.