REPROHEALTHLAW Updates – Winter 2021

February 18, 2021

SUBSCRIBE TO REPROHEALTHLAW: To receive these updates by email, enter your address in upper right corner of this webpage, then check your email to confirm the subscription.

DEVELOPMENTS
Argentina legalized abortion within 14 weeks’ gestation, Dec. 30, 2020. Newspaper report.

South Korea decriminalized abortion, effective Jan. 1 2021, by order of the Constitutional Court of Korea
Decision of 2019 explained by Prof. Hyunah Yang.

Thailand – abortion became legal on request within 12 weeks, Feb. 7, 2021, based on Constitutional Court judgment of Feb. 19, 2020 (English summary download), and legislative amendments of Jan. 25, 2021 Newspaper report.

NEW CASE SUMMARIES:
[Kenya, abortion law, rape, training healthcare professionals] Federation of Women Lawyers (Fida – Kenya) & 3 others v Attorney General & 2 others [2019] eKLR, Petition No. 266 of 2015, Decision of June 12, 2019. (High Court of Kenya at Nairobi, Constitutional and Human Rights Division) Decision online. Case Summary by Benson Chakaya (download PDF). Overview by Bernard Dickens.

[Zimbabwe, transgender, constitutional rights] Ricky Nathanson v Farai Mteliso, The Officer in Charge Bulawayo Central Police Station, Commissioner of Police and the Minister of Home Affairs, Case no.HB 176/19 HC 1873/14 [2019] ZWBHC 135( (14 November 2019);  (Zimbabwe, High Court) Decision online.   Overview on Reprohealthlaw Blog. Case Summary by Keikantse Phele (download PDF).

SCHOLARSHIP
Access to Abortion: An Annotated Bibliography of Reports and Scholarship. (Toronto: International Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Program, 2020) 44 pages. Abortion access bibliography.

[abortion – COVID-19] “Legal and Policy Responses to the Delivery of Abortion Care During COVID-19,” by Elizabeth Chloe Romanis & Jordan A Parsons. International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 151.3 (December 2020): 479-486  PDF at Wiley online. Submitted Text at SSRN.

[abortion – Europe] “Access to Abortion in Cases of Fatal Foetal Abnormality: A New Direction for the European Court of Human Rights?” by Bríd Ní Ghráinne and Aisling McMahon, Human Rights Law Review 19.3 (November 2019, Pages 561–584, Abstract and institutional access.

[abortion laws – map] “Global Abortion laws Relating to Self-Managed Abortion,” interactive map created by Ipas with the Center for Public Health Law Research at Temple University, based on WHO Global Abortion Policies database, “displays self-managed abortion laws in 180 countries and 40 sub-national jurisdictions including Australia and Mexico, as of June 1, 2019. Self-Managed Abortion Law Map

“Bioethics training in reproductive health in Mexico,” by Gustavo Ortiz-Millán and Frances Kissling, International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 151.2 (November, 2020): 308-313  PDF at Wiley OnlineSubmitted Text at SSRN
Also forthcoming in Spanish:    Bioética y derechos reproductivos de las mujeres en México, edited by Lourdes Enríquez Rosas, María del Pilar González Barreda, and Arturo Sotelo Gutiérrez (Fonde de Cultura Económica and the Programa Universitario de Bioética of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)

[Brazil] “Confidentiality and treatment refusal: conservative shifts on reproductive rights by Brazilian medical boards,” by Juliana Cesario Alvim Gomes and Corina Helena Figueira Mendes, International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 152.3 (March 2021): 459-464.   PDF at Wiley online.   

[conscience, Argentina] “Una vuelta de tuerca a la objeción de conciencia: Una propuesta regulatoria a partir de las prácticas
del aborto legal en Argentina,” por Sonia Ariza Navarrete & Agustina Ramón Michel (Ipas, 2019) Descargar informe en PDF. Summario – Espanol y Ingles

[conscience – Argentina] “Re-thinking the Use of Conscientious Objection by Health Professionals: A regulatory proposal based on legal abortion practices in Argentina, 2019  Executive Summary – English and Spanish

“Conscience Wars in the Americas,” by Douglas NeJaime and Reva Siegel, Latin American Law Review 5 (2020): 1-26
English and Spanish on web.   Download English PDF      Spanish PDF.

Conscientious Objection / The Right to Conscience – annotated bibliography, updated Feb. 15, 2021.

Women’s Birthing Bodies and the Law: Unauthorised Intimate Examinations, Power and Vulnerability, new book edited by Camilla Pickles and Jonathan Herring. Hart Publishing, 2020. Publisher’s webpage.  

US-focused news, resources, and legal developments are available  on Repro Rights Prof Blog. View or subscribe.

JOBS
Links to employers in the field of Reproductive and Sexual Health Law are online here.
______________
Compiled by: the International Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Program, reprohealth*law at utoronto.ca.   See Program website for our PublicationsResearch resources, and Reprohealthlaw Commentaries SeriesTO JOIN THE REPROHEALTHLAW BLOG: enter your email address in the upper right corner of our blog, then check your email to confirm the subscription.


REPROHEALTHLAW Updates – Summer 2020

August 31, 2020

SUBSCRIBE TO REPROHEALTHLAW: To receive these updates bi-monthly by email, enter your address in upper right corner of this webpage, then check your email to confirm the subscription.

DEVELOPMENTS
[Argentina, abortion, conscience]  Argentina Ministry of Health issued a protocol expanding hospital abortion access to pregnancies resulting from rape. Raped girls 13 and over can have abortions without parental consent. The protocol also weakens a doctor’s ability to refuse to perform such abortions due to personal objection. New York Times, Dec 12, 2019.

[IACtHR, Ecuador], First standards for protection from sexual violence in schools: Paola del Rosario Guzmán Albarracín et al. v. Ecuador, Case C No. 405 (June 24, 2020) Sentencia en espanol – 85 paginas. Public Hearing Jan. 28 2020Resolución (Asuntos) 7 paginas. Reprohealthlaw blog summary.
Case comment in English (10 pages).

Ugandan Constitutional Court declares maternal health a constitutional right. First African court to do so. The Center for Health Human Rights and Development (CEHURD) and 3 Others v Attorney General [2020], Constitutional Petition No. 16 of 2011 (Constitutional Court of Uganda at Kampala). [Maternal health] Decision of August 19, 2020. Reprohealthlaw blogpost. Longer comment with the Court’s twelve “Declarations.”

[United Kingdom, surrogacy] Whittington Hospital NHS Trust (Appellant) v. XX (Respondent) [2020] UK Supreme Court 14. (April 1, 2020) allows paid surrogacy, where legal, in foreign countries. Decision (24 pages). Article by Prof. Bernard Dickens.

WEBINARS
“Access to medical abortion: Global South perspectives,”, with Panelists Dr. Shilpa Shroff, Prof. Dipika Jain, Dr. Sana Durvesh, and Moderator, Sai Jyothirmai Racheria. Organizers: SARJAI and SAIGE. Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, 14:30 (GMT+8, Kuala Lumpur time). Register here for Sept 4.

“Telemedicine, self-managed abortion and access to abortion in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic,” chaired by Mariana Romero (Argentina). Speakers: Jade Maina (Kenya), Maria Mercedes Vivas (Colombia), Wendy V. Norman (Canada), Rodica Comendant (Moldova), Jasmine Lovely George (India), Kinga Jelinska (The Netherlands), Marge Berer (United Kingdom), to be held: Wednesday, September 23, 2020 (2:00-3:30 p.m. British Summer Time). Register here for Sept 23.

“Telemedicine / self-managed abortion is critical to strengthening women and girls’ reproductive rights and reducing maternal mortality” FIGO webinar, chaired by Prof. Dame Lesley Regan (FIGO), with speakers: Ambassador Dr. Eunice Brookman-Amissah (Ghana), Marge Berer (UK), Christina Zampas (Switzerland), Nelly Munyasia (Kenya), Evelyn Odhiambo (Kenya). Will be available in English, Spanish and French. To be held Thursday Sept. 24, 2020 at 15:00-16:30 (British Summer Time). Register for Sept 24.

SCHOLARSHIP
“Access to Abortion: An Annotated Bibliography of Reports and Scholarship,” prepared by the International Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Program, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, 2nd edition, 2020, 44 pages, (organized by country, focuses on barriers and recommendations, ) Annotated bibliography.

[abortion] “Abortion,” thematic chapter in Comparative Human Rights Law, by Sandra Fredman (Oxford UP, Nov. 2018). Institutional access through Oxford Scholarship Online. About the book.

[abortion, Argentina, Ireland, US] “Argentina’s path to Legalizing Abortion:  A comparative analysis of Ireland, the United States and Argentina,” by  Andrea F. Noguera, Southwestern Journal of International Law 25.2 (2019): 356-392.    Article online.

[abortion, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay ] “Challenges and opportunities for access to legal and safe abortion in Latin America based on the scenarios in Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay,” by Beatriz Galli – Cadernos de Saúde Pública, 2020 – SciELO Public Health

[abortion, Brazil] Understanding the sexual and reproductive health needs in Brazil’s Zika-affected region: placing women at the center of the discussion,” by D. Diniz, L. Brito, I. Ambrogi, AB Tavares, M. Ali. International of Gynaecology and Obstetrics 2019; 147: 17 Institutional access

[abortion, India] “Reimagining Reproductive Rights Jurisprudence in India: Reflections on the Recent Decisions on Privacy and Gender Equality from the Supreme Court of India,” by Dipika Jain and Payal Shah. Columbia Journal of Gender and Law 39.2(2020), 1-53. Article online.

[abortion law, India] “A Womb of One’s Own: Privacy and Reproductive Rights,” Arijeet Ghosh & Nitika Khaitan (2017) 52:42/43 Economic & Political Weekly, [1-9], re landmark Aug 24, 2017 privacy decision (Puttaswamy) already helped decriminalize homosexuality, adultery–potentially abortion. Article online.

Human Rights Quarterly is freely available online during the COVID-19 pandemic.  All issues.

[obstetric violence] “Operationalizing a Human Rights-Based Approach to Address Mistreatment against Women during Childbirth,” by Christina Zampas, Avni Amin, Lucinda O’Hanlon, Alisha Bjerregaard, Hedieh Mehrtash, Rajat Khosla, and Özge Tunçalp, Health and Human Rights Journal, 22(1) 2020: 251-264 Article online.

[surrogacy] “Paid surrogacy abroad does not violate public policy: UK Supreme Court,” by Bernard M. Dickens, International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 150.1 (2020): 129-133. PDF at Wiley Online.    Abstract and Submitted Text.

[U.S. reproductive decisions] Feminist Judgments: Reproductive Justice Rewritten, ed. Kimberly Mutcherson, Cambridge UP, 2020. Book details.

US-focused news, resources, and legal developments are available  on Repro Rights Prof Blog. View or subscribe.

Violence Against Women’s Health in International Law, new book by Sara De Vido, Manchester University Press, 2020. Abstract and Table of Contents.

JOBS
Links to employers in the field of Reproductive and Sexual Health Law are online here.
______________
Compiled by: the International Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Program, reprohealth*law at utoronto.ca.   See Program website for our PublicationsInformation resources, and Reprohealthlaw Commentaries SeriesTO JOIN THE REPROHEALTHLAW BLOG: enter your email address in the upper right corner of our blog, then check your email to confirm the subscription.


REPROHEALTHLAW Updates – August 2019

August 26, 2019

SUBSCRIBE TO REPROHEALTHLAW: To receive these updates monthly by email, enter your address in upper right corner of this webpage, then check your email to confirm the subscription.

COLLOQUIUM:

Overcoming Barriers to Safe Abortion in the African Region, 16-17 January 2020, at the University of Pretoria’s Centre for Human Rights. Details, funding, topics, and Call for Abstracts

DEVELOPMENTS:

El Salvador – Young woman acquitted of aggravated homicide after miscarriage in 2016. Evelyn Hernandez Cruz was released on appeal, July 10, 2019. News report.

Germany: Higher court overturns doctor’s conviction for “advertising” abortion among other health services, in light of recent legal reform. News report, July 3, 2019.

Kenya – Case of “JMM,” a teenager who died in 2015 after botched illegal abortion.  The High Court of Kenya at Nairobi, Constitutional and Human Rights Division, declared that abortion is permitted for rape victims. It also ruled that the Ministry of Health’s 2014 withdrawal of abortion “Standards and Guidelines” and abortion trainings for healthcare professionals, were arbitrary and unlawful. Federation of Women Lawyers (Fida – Kenya) & 3 others v Attorney General & 2 others; East Africa Center for Law & Justice & 6 others (Interested Party) & Women’s Link Worldwide & 2 others (Amicus Curiae) [2019] eKLR, Petition No. 266 of 2015.   Decision of June 11, 2019.   News report.    Press release by Center for Reproductive Rights.

Northern Ireland – U.K. bill to maintain Northern Ireland’s public services during governmental hiatus includes decriminalized abortion and same-sex marriage. Bill was signed into law July 24, 2019, to take effect October 22, 2019. Time Magazine: “After 158 Years.”

United Kingdom: Court of Appeal upholds legality of a buffer zone around a London abortion clinic.  Dulgheriu and Orthova v. the London Borough for Civil Liberties and The National Council for Civil Liberties [2019] EWCA Civ 1490, Case No: C1/2018/1699 Court of Appeal (Civil Division). (Decision of August 21, 2019Report by Safe Abortion.

United Nations, International Law Commission, UN 71st session, A/CN.4/L.935 May 15, 2019, adopted new edition of “Crimes against Humanity” treaty, which “removed the outdated definition of gender … [It] affirmed that the rights of women, LGBTIQ persons, and other marginalized groups are protected in international criminal law, which will have ripple effects across national laws and future legal mechanisms for years to come,” according to Jessica Stern et al. New edition of Treaty.

SCHOLARSHIP:

[abortion law, Brazil] “Why is decriminalization necessary?  by the Anis Bioethical Institute (Brasilia, 2019).  The booklet is now available in English, Spanish and Portuguese : scroll down on this webpage.

[abortion law, Chile ] “Criminalisation under scrutiny: how constitutional courts are changing their narrative by using public health evidence in abortion cases,” by Verónica Undurraga, Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters 2019;27(1) DOI: 10.1080/26410397.2019.1620552 Article and abstract

[abortion law, Mexico] “Motherhood or Punishment: The criminalization of abortion in Mexico.” English 57-page report, 2019, English executive summary. Based on “Maternidad o Castigo:  La criminalización del aborto en Mexico,”  (Mexico, GIRE, 2018)  Informe de 72 paginas

[abortion law – United Kingdom] “Female Autonomy, Foetal Personhood and the English Legal Stance on Abortion Practice,” by Sahra Paula Thomet, Queen Mary Law Journal 10 (2019): 27-50. Institutional Access.

[abortion pill – Canada] “To Solve Abortion Pill Prescription Problems, We need to Rethink the Prescription Itself” by Professor Joanna Erdman, Dalhousie Law School, July 17, 2019 Newspaper Comment.

[age-of-marriage, Mali] “A commentary on the African Court’s decision in the case APDF and IHRDA v Republic of Mali: why socio-cultural endemic factors of a society could never support arguments based on force majeure” by Giulia Pecorella,  International Law Blog, January 14, 2019.  Comment online. Decision PDF.

“Gender Equality, Norms, and Health” 5-part series in The Lancet Vol. 393 provides new analysis and insights into the impact of gender inequalities and norms on health, and opportunities to transform them. ArticlesGender Equality Norms and Health series.

“Integrating Gender Perspectives  in Gynaecology and Obstetrics: Engaging Medical Colleges in Maharashtra, India,” by Sangeeta Rege,  Padma Bhate-Deosthali, Pravin Shingare, Srinivas Gadappa, Sonali Deshpande, Nandkishore Gaikwad, and Shailesh Vaidya, International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 146 (2019): 132–138    PDF at Wiley OnlineSubmitted text at SSRN.

US-focused news, resources, and legal developments are available  on Repro Rights Prof Blog. View or subscribe.

JOBS

Links to employers in the field of Reproductive and Sexual Health Law are online here.
______________
Compiled by: the International Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Program, reprohealth*law at utoronto.ca.   See Program website for our PublicationsInformation resources, and Reprohealthlaw Commentaries SeriesTO JOIN THE REPROHEALTHLAW BLOG: enter your email address in the upper right corner of our blog, then check your email to confirm the subscription.


Brazil: Why is decriminalization necessary (in first trimester)?

August 26, 2019

One year after the Brazilian Supreme Court held its public hearing on ADPF 442, the petition to decriminalize abortion in the first trimester, the Anis Bioethical Institute has recently made its publication: “Abortion: Why is decriminalization necessary?” available in English, Spanish and Portuguese (scroll down). In clear, accessible language, it describes the various arguments presented at the public hearing in Brasília, the federal capital, on August 3rd and 6th, 2018. The arguments are grounded in public health, bioethics, international law, social sciences, and the role of religions in a secular state. The evidence presented is indispensable to any serious debate about health policy.

Abortion: Why is decriminalization necessary?” is divided into seven main themes that demonstrate, one by one, that criminalization is ineffective not only because it does not prevent abortions, but, worse, because it kills and harms women. In addition, the data presented shows that criminalization is discriminatory — the risks of unsafe abortion fall disproportionately on Black and Indigenous women, and women who live in marginalized communities.

Criminalization has not reduced the number of abortions anywhere in the world; on the contrary, there is evidence from several countries that abortion rates actually decrease in the years following decriminalization. In other words, to protect fetal life, it is better to work with women, not against them.

The booklet is now available in English, Spanish and Portuguese, on this webpage. so that it will be useful to others in the region and their advocacy strategies. With reliable data and stories, we can say: abortion is healthcare.

Related Resources:

[ADPF 442 of 2018]: “Brazilian Supreme Court Public Hearing on the Decriminalization of Abortion:   Antecedents, Contents, Meanings” by Sonia Corrêa  (published by Sexuality Policy Watch, 2018)  27 pages PDF     Direct download.

Testimony by Prof. Rebecca Cook . . .against Unsafe Abortion in the Public Hearing of the Brazilian Supreme Court, caso ADPF 442, Brasilia, August 3, 2018.   English original.    em Portugues do Brasil. Testimonio en Espanol.  

[about ADPF 54 of 2012:] “Bringing Abortion into the Brazilian Public Debate: Legal Strategies for Anencephalic Pregnancy,” by Luis Roberto Barroso, in Abortion Law in Transnational Perspective: Cases and Controversies, ed. Rebecca J. Cook, Joanna N. Erdman and Bernard M. Dickens (Penn Press, 2014) 258-278. English abstract. Table of Contents with abstracts. Edition en espanol. Resumo en espanol.

“Constitutionalizing Abortion in Brazil.” by Marta Machado and Rebecca J. Cook, Revista de Investigações Constitucionais / Journal of Constitutional Research, Curitiba, vol. 5, n. 3, p. 185-231, set./dez. 2018. 47 pages. DOI: 10.1590/2179-8966/2019/43406 Abstract and Article in English. SSRN English copy.

“Constitucionalização do aborto no Brasil: uma análise a partir do caso da gravidez anencefálica,” por Marta Rodriguez de Assis Machado y Rebecca J. Cook. Revista Direito e Práxis, Rio de Janeiro, Vol. 10, N.03, 2019, p. 2239-2295.. DOI: 10.1590/2179-8966/2019/43406    Disponível em Portugues do Brazil.    Resumo en Portugues

_____________
Compiled by: the International Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Program, reprohealth*law at utoronto.ca.   See Program website for our PublicationsInformation resources, and Reprohealthlaw Commentaries SeriesTO JOIN THE REPROHEALTHLAW BLOG: enter your email address in the upper right corner of our blog, then check your email to confirm the subscription.


Constitucionalização do aborto no Brasil: uma análise a partir do caso da gravidez anencefálica

June 28, 2019

[Constitutionalizing abortion in Brazil]
Congratulations to Professors Marta Rodrigues de Assis Machado, and Rebecca J. Cook, whose article is now available in Portuguese and English. Prof. Machado teaches at the Getulio Vargas Foundation School of Law (Sao Paulo), and Prof. emerita Rebecca Cook is Co-Director of our International Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Program at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law.

PORTUGUESE:
“Constitucionalização do aborto no Brasil: uma análise a partir do caso da gravidez anencefálica,” por Marta Rodriguez de Assis Machado y Rebecca J. Cook. Revista Direito e Práxis, Rio de Janeiro, Vol. 10, N.03, 2019, p. 2239-2295.. DOI: 10.1590/2179-8966/2019/43406    Disponível em Portugues do Brazil.    

Resumo: O Brasil tem constitucionalizado disputas pelo direito das mulheres de encerrar gestações indesejadas. O presente artigo examina como teve início esse processo, na Assembleia Constituinte nos anos de 1986-87, e como ele se desenvolveu em diferentes arenas de disputa, como o Legislativo, o Executivo e a esfera pública. Recentemente, o conflito se deslocou para o Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF), por meio da discussão sobre gravidez de fetos anencéfalos, trazida pela Arguição de Descumprimento de Preceito Fundamental (ADPF) n. 54 em 2004 e julgada em 2012. Nessa ação, pela primeira vez, o STF moveu barreiras penais estabelecidas pelo Código Penal de 1940 para possibilitar a escolha de mulheres em manter ou não uma gravidez anencefálica. O objetivo deste texto é examinar como a decisão da ADPF 54 contribuiu para a constitucionalização do aborto. Em primeiro lugar, estabeleceu o direito à vida como não absoluto, garantindo legitimidade constitucional ao sistema de excludentes de ilicitude. Em segundo, indicou a ponderação de direitos constitucionais como o modo de raciocínio paradigmático na questão. Em terceiro, ao enquadrar a controvérsia como questão de ponderação de direitos, as posições adotadas acabaram por expressar importantes avanços no reconhecimento de direitos das mulheres.
Palavras-chave: Brasil; Constituição; Anencefalia; Gravidez; Aborto; Direitos das mulheres.

Jurisprudência relevante:

Supremo Tribunal Federal do Brasil. Arguição de Descumprimento de Preceito Fundamental nº. 54 garantiu, no Brasil, a interrupção terapêutica da gestação de feto anencéfalo. Decisao do STF, 12 abril 2012. Copia extra.

Decisões sobre o aborto – página da web: em espanol. em inglês

_______________
ENGLISH:
MACHADO, Marta Rodriguez de Assis; COOK, Rebecca J. Constitutionalizing abor-tion in Brazil. Revista de Investigações Constitucionais, Curitiba, vol. 5, n. 3, p. 185-231, set./dez. 2018. DOI: 10.5380/rinc.v5i3.60973. Published article in English. Abstract and related resources in English.

Abortion Law decisions in English. in Spanish.

_______________________
Compiled by the Coordinator of the International Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Program, reprohealth*law at utoronto.ca For Program publications and resources, see our website, online here. TO JOIN THIS BLOG: enter your email address in upper right corner of this webpage, then check your email to confirm the subscription.


REPROHEALTHLAW Updates – February 2019

February 19, 2019

SUBSCRIBE TO REPROHEALTHLAW: To receive these updates monthly by email, enter your address in upper right corner of this webpage, then check your email to confirm the subscription.

DEVELOPMENTS:

[abortion] Ireland – The Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act was signed into law, effective January 1, 2019.  Medical Council also deleted four of the five paragraphs dealing with abortion from its guide on professional conduct and ethics because they conflicted with the Act.  Newspaper article.

[abortion -Northern Ireland] UK Supreme Court had ruled in June ([2018] UKSC 27 (7 June 2018)  On appeal from: [2017] NICA 42that violation of European Convention on Human Rights could not be decided without at least one complainant.  On January 30, 2019,  Sara Ewart, who had once travelled for abortion of a fatally impaired fetus, launched a case that could find Northern Ireland’s abortion law in breach of the UK’s human rights commitments. She is supported by Amnesty International.  News articleAmnesty International press release.

[conscience – institutional] Chile, Constitutional Court upheld an unconstitutionality claim against the government’s new Regulations about the scope of “institutional” conscientious objection for private facilities and clinics.  STC Rol N° 5572-18-CDS / 5650-18-CDS (acumuladas). January 18, 2019.   Spanish decision  English news report.

[conscience]   Norway: Supreme Court upholds rights of doctor who refused to insert IUD.  Two cases: I. Sauherad municipality (Counsel Frode Lauareid) v. A, Norges Kristelige Legeforening (intervener) (Counsel Håkon H. Bleken), II. A, Norges Kristelige Legeforening (intervener) (Counsel Håkon H. Bleken) v. Sauherad municipality (Counsel Frode Lauareid, HR-2018-1958-A (case no. 2018/199), 11 October 2018 (Supreme Court of Norway) Judgment online in English – official translation.      Newspaper article.

[stigma] US:  Vending Machines Offer Emergency Contraception Without the Stigma introduced in 2012, now at several campuses, including Stanford University.   News report.

SCHOLARSHIP:

[abortion access]  Crossing Troubled Waters: Abortion in Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Prince Edward Island, ed. Colleen MacQuarrie, Fiona Bloomer, Claire Pierson and Shannon Stettner (Charlottetown, PEI, Canada: Island Studies Press, 2018). 288 pages.      Table of ContentsPublisher’s web page.

[abortion law]   “Criminal law and the risk of harm: a commentary on the impact of criminal laws on sexual and reproductive health, sexual conduct and key populations,” by Veronica Birga, Luisa Cabal, Lucinda O’Hanlon & Christina Zampas.   Reproductive Health Matters, 26.52 (2018): 33-37 Article online.

[abortion law, Argentina] Federalism, two-level games and the politics of abortion rights implementation in sub-national Argentina, by Alba Ruibal, in Reproductive Health Matters 26:54 (Nov. 2018): 137-144.   Article in English with abstracts in English. French & Spanish.

[abortion law, Argentina] “Legal obstacles and social change: strategies of the abortion rights movement in Argentina,” by Alba Ruibal and Cora Fernandez Anderson, in Politics, Groups and Identity,  preview November 2018, 17 pages.  Institutional access.   Abstract from Safe Abortion.

[abortion law, Argentina]”Federalism and subnational legal mobilization: feminist litigation strategies in Salta, Argentina,” by Alba Ruibal,  Law & Society Review,  32-page preview 29 October 2018. Institutional access.    Abstract from Safe Abortion.

[abortion law – Brazil]  Constitutionalizing Abortion in Brazil, by Marta Machado and Rebecca J. Cook, Revista de Investigações Constitucionais / Journal of Constitutional Research, vol. 5, n. 3 (set./dez. 2018) pp.185-231.  Abstract and Article PDF.   Also at SSRN.

[abortion law – Brazil and Mexico]  “Constitutionalism and rights protection in Mexico and Brazil: comparative remarks, by Francisca Pou Giménez, in Revista de Investigações Constitucionais / Journal of Constitutional Research, vol. 5, n. 3 (set./dez. 2018) pp 233-255  Abstract and article PDF.

[abortion law, Dominican Republic]  “It’s Your Decision.  It’s Your Life:  Total criminalization of abortion in the Dominican Republic.”  interviews, plus legal overview and recommendations.  (Human Rights Watch, Nov 19, 2018).   84 pages. English PDF    Spanish PDF.   Online in English.    Overview with 5-minute video.

[abortion law -Ireland]  “Abortion, the Irish Constitution, and constitutional change” by David Kenny, Revista de Investigações Constitucionais / Journal of Constitutional Research, vol. 5, n. 3 (set./dez. 2018) pp. 257-275.   Abstract and Article PDF.

[abortion law, Mexico] “Maternidad o Castigo:  La criminalización del aborto en Mexico,”  (Mexico, GIRE, 2018)  [Report in Spanish:] Informe de 72 paginas.  For executive summary in English, see: Motherhood or Punishment: The criminalization of abortion in Mexico:  English summary.

[abortion law] “Northern Ireland and Abortion Law Reform,” by Kathryn McNeilly, Fiona Bloomer and Claire Pierson,  Queen’s University, Ulster University and University of Liverpool, Sept. 2018, open access, 8 pages.  Briefing Paper.

[adolescents]  “(De)Criminalizing Adolescent Sex: A rights-based assessment of age of consent laws in Eastern and Southern Africa,” by Godfrey Dalitso Kangaude and Ann Skelton, SAGE Open (Oct-Dec 2018): 1 –12.   Article online.   Abstract.

[conscience]  “Objection ladies! Taking IPPF-EN v. Italy one step further, by Emmanuelle Bribosia, Ivana Isailovic and Isabelle  Rorive, in:  Integrated Human Rights in Practice:Rewriting Human Rights Decisions, ed. Eva Brems and Ellen Desmet (Cheltenham, UK:  Elgar, 2018).  Abstract and previous version.

[conscience]  “Religious Refusals and Reproductive Rights,” by Louise Melling, chapter 14 in:  The Conscience Wars: Rethinking the Balance between Religion, Identity, and Equality, ed. Susanna Mancini and Michel Rosenfeld (Cambridge, UK:  Cambridge University Press, 2018)  pp. 375-391.   Institutional Access.

[conscience]  “Seeking to square the circle:  Conscientious objection in Reproductive Healthcare” by Emmanuelle Bribosia and Isabelle  Rorive, chapter 15 in:  The Conscience Wars: Rethinking the Balance between Religion, Identity, and Equality, ed. Susanna Mancini and Michel Rosenfeld (Cambridge, UK:  Cambridge University Press, 2018)  pp. 392-413.  Institutional Access.    Abstract and previous version

 

[gender stereotyping, I.V. v. Bolivia, sterilization]  “The human rights impact of gender stereotyping in the context of reproductive health care,” by Ciara O’Connell and Christina Zampas,  International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 144 (2019):  116–121.  PDF online here.

[maternal health] Impact of reproductive evolutionary mismatch on women’s health and the need for action and research, by Mahmoud F. Fathalla, International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 144 (Feb. 2019): 129–134.  Institutional Access.  

[New book] Beyond Virtue and Vice:  Rethinking Human Rights and Criminal Law
ed.  Alice M. Miller and Mindy Jane Roseman,  Pennsylvania Studies in Human Rights (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2019)  360 pages. Book information.
Intro and chapters 1 and 3 online.
Chapters about abortion law include:
ο    “Abortion as Treason: Sexuality and nationalism in France” by Mindy Jane Roseman
ο    “Criminal Law, Activism and Sexual and Reproductive Justice: What we can learn from the sex selection campaign in India,” by Geetanjali Misra and Vrinda Marwah
ο    “Harm Production: An argument for decriminalization,”  by Joanna N. Erdman

JOBS

Links to employers in the field of Reproductive and Sexual Health Law are online here.

Senior Vice President, Global Legal Program, Center for Reproductive Rights, New York, USA.    Job details and application form.

______________
Compiled by the Coordinator of the International Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Program, reprohealth*law at utoronto.ca For Program publications and resources, see our website, online here. TO JOIN THIS BLOG: enter your email address in upper right corner of this webpage, then check your email to confirm the subscription.

 

 

 

 


“Constitutionalizing Abortion in Brazil” by Marta Machado and Rebecca Cook

February 19, 2019

Congratulations and thanks to Professors Marta Rodriguez de Assis Machado and Rebecca J. Cook for their new publication in the Brazilian journal Revista de Investigações Constitucionais / Journal of Constitutional Research.  Prof. Machado teaches at the Getulio Vargas Foundation School of Law (Sao Paulo), and Prof. emerita Rebecca Cook is Co-Director of the International Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Program a the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law.

This article is part of an open-access symposium on “The 30th Anniversary of the 1988 Brazilian Constitution” in the Brazilian Revista de Investigações Constitucionais – Journal of Constitutional Research (vol. 5, n. 3, 2018), guest edited by Richard Albert, Sofia Ranchordás and Mariana Velasco.

Marta Machado and Rebecca J. Cook, Constitutionalizing Abortion in Brazil.  Revista de Investigações Constitucionais / Journal of Constitutional Research, Curitiba, vol. 5, n. 3, p. 185-231, set./dez. 2018. 47 pages. Abstract and Article online.
SSRN copy.

Abstract

Brazil has been constitutionalizing disputes on women’s right to terminate unwanted pregnancy. This paper explains how this process started with the drafting of the new constitution in 1986-87, and evolved in different arenas, the legislative, the executive and in the public sphere. Most recently, it moved to the Supreme Court, primarily in its anencephalic pregnancy decision, brought as a Claim of Non Compliance with Fundamental Precept (ADPF 54). Decided in 2012, it was the first time since the adoption of the Penal Code in 1940 that the Brazilian Supreme Court moved the criminal boundaries to enable women to decide whether to terminate anencephalic pregnancies. The purpose of this article is to examine how the ADPF 54 decision contributed to the constitutionalization of abortion. First, it established the right to life as a non-absolute right, granting constitutional legitimacy to the system of legal exceptions. Second, it signaled the balancing of constitutional rights as the reasoning paradigm for this issue. Third, in framing the controversy as a matter of balancing constitutionally protected rights, the positions established in the Court ultimately recognized crucial understandings of women’s rights.

Keywords: Brazil, Constitution, anencephaly, pregnancy, abortion, women’s rights.
Full text:  47-page publication in English, also online through journal.

em PORTUGUES:
MACHADO, Marta Rodriguez de Assis; COOK, Rebecca J.
Constitucionalização do aborto no Brasil: uma análise a partir do caso da gravidez anencefálica. Revista Direito e Práxis vol. 10, n. 03 Rio de Janeiro, 2019. DOI: 10.1590/2179-8966/2019/43406.  Disponível em: Portugues.    Resumo disponível aqui

Related Resources in English:

Sonia Corrêa, “Supreme Court of Brazil: Public Hearing on the Decriminalization of Abortion, August 3rd & 6th 2018– Antecedents, Content, Meanings,” (Sexuality Policy Watch, Sept. 2018) [re: petition ADPF 442, which calls for decriminalization of abortion until the 12th week of pregnancy. ]   31-page article

Testimony of Rebecca J. Cook, C.M, M.P.A., J.D., J.S.D., of the University of Toronto, on behalf of the Latin American Consortium against Unsafe Abortion (CLACAI)  in the  Public Hearing before the Supreme Court of Brazil, case ADPF 442 (3 August 2018).   English.    Espanol.     Portugues.

Luís Roberto Barroso “Bringing Abortion into the Brazilian Public Debate: Legal Strategies for Anencephalic Pregnancy,” Abortion Law in Transnational Perspective: Cases and Controversies, ed. Rebecca J. Cook, Joanna N. Erdman and Bernard M. Dickens (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2014).   Abstract onlineSpanish abstract.

Supreme Court of Brazil, . Claim of Non Compliance with Fundamental Precept nº 54. ADPF 54/DF.  April 12, 2012,  Portuguese anencephaly decision Backup copy.

Abortion-related articles from the same Symposium:

Francisca Pou Giménez, “Constitutionalism and rights protection in Mexico and Brazil: comparative remarks,”  Revista de Investigações Constitucionais / Journal of Constitutional Research, vol. 5, n. 3 (set./dez. 2018) pp 233-255  Abstract and article PDF.

David Kenny, “Abortion, the Irish Constitution, and constitutional change” Revista de Investigações Constitucionais / Journal of Constitutional Research, vol. 5, n. 3 (set./dez. 2018) pp. 257-275   Abstract and Article PDF.

_________________
Compiled by the Coordinator of the International Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Program, reprohealth*law at utoronto.ca For Program publications and resources, see our website, online here. TO JOIN THIS BLOG: enter your email address in upper right corner of this webpage, then check your email to confirm the subscription.

REPROHEALTHLAW Updates – October 2018

October 31, 2018

SUBSCRIBE TO REPROHEALTHLAW: To receive these updates monthly by email, enter your address in upper right corner of this webpage, then check your email to confirm the subscription.

DEVELOPMENTS

Bulgaria:  Constitutional Court declares the Istanbul Convention against violence against women  unconstitutional.  July 27, 2018.  Oxford Human Rights Hub article.

Constitutional Court of Croatia.  Decision of March 2, 2017.  Rješenje Ustavnog Suda Republike Hrvatske, broj: U-I-60/1991 i dr. od 21.veljace 2017.  Decision online in Croatian. Backup copy.  Summary in English from CRR   Croatian Court’s Press release – 11 pages in English.

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS:

Fourth International Congress on Women’s Health and Unsafe abortion (IWAC 2019), February 19-22, 2019, Asia Hotel, Bangkok Thailand  Theme:  “We Trust Women: Universal Access to Safe Abortion.”  Submit abstracts by Nov 15, 2018  Call for Abstracts

SCHOLARSHIP:

Abortion Law in Transnational Perspective: Cases and Controversies, ed. Rebecca Cook, Joanna Erdman and Bernard Dickens (Philadelphia: Univ. Pennsylvania Press, 2014) Now in Paperback.  20% discount code: PH70.  English abstracts.   Spanish edition – abstractsTable of Cases in English or Spanish.

[Africa]  “(De)Criminalizing Adolescent Sex: A Rights-Based Assessment of Age of Consent Laws in Eastern and Southern Africa,” by Godfrey Dalitso Kangaude and Ann Skelton,  (peer-reviewed) Sage Open 2018 (Oct-Dec): 1-12.   Article online.

[Brazil – anencephaly – Supreme Court]   “The STF decision on abortion of anencephalic fetus: A Feminist Discourse Analysis” by Lucia Goncalves de Freitas, Alfa, Sao Paulo, 62.1 (2018): 11-33.   Article in English.

[Brazil – obstetric care, maternal mortality /morbidity, Alyne case]  “Implementing international human rights recommendations to improve obstetric care in Brazil,” by Alicia E Yamin, Beatriz Galli and Sandra Valongueiro.   International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 143.1 (October 2018): 114-120.    Download full text PDF now, because Free Access expires in 6 months.    Abstract online in English   For Portuguese abstract, click on :Supporting Information”.  

[Brazil – zika, microcephaly]  BOOK:  Zika: from the Brazilian backlands to a Global Threat (Zed Books, 2017)  in English  and  Portuguese .

[conscience]  “Balancing Freedom of Conscience and Equitable Access,” by Wendy Chavkin, Desiree Abu-Odeh, Catherine Clune-Taylor, Sara Dubow PhD, Michael Ferber and Ilan H. Meyer, American Journal of Public Health 108.11 (Nov 2018): 1487-88.  Article online.

[conscientious objection, Ireland] “Conscientious Objection, Harm Reduction and Abortion Care,”  by Ruth Fletcher, in Mary Donnelly and Claire Murray eds., Ethical and Legal Debates in Irish Healthcare: Confronting Complexities (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2016) pp. 24-40.  Pre-publication version.     Book information

[conscientious objection – South Africa “Let’s call ‘conscientious objection’ by its name: Obstruction of access to care and abortion in South Africa,” by Satang Nabaneh, Marion Stevens & Lucía Berro Pizzarossa,  24 October 2018, Oxford Human Rights Hub.

[Forced sterilization] “Gendered Power Relations and Informed Consent: The I.V. v. Bolivia Case,” by Martín Hevia and Andrés Constantin, Health and Human Rights JournalEarly view of full text.

[Intersex] “Management of intersex newborns: Legal and ethical developments,” by Bernard M. Dickens, International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics  143.2 (Nov. 2018): 255–259.  PDF at Wiley online.   Submitted text at SSRN.

[Ireland] “Reproductive Justice in Ireland: A Feminist Analysis of the Neary and Halappanavar Cases,” by Joan McCarthy,  in: Mary Donnelly and Claire Murray, eds., Ethical and Legal Debates in Irish Healthcare: Confronting Complexities (Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 2016).   Submitted Text online.   Book information

[Ireland and Britain] “Reproductive rebellions in Britain and the Republic of Ireland: contemporary and past abortion activism and alternative sites of care,” by Ben Kasstan and Sarah Crook, in Feminist Encounters: A Journal of Critical Studies in Culture and Politics, 2.2 (2018):  1-16.  Article online.

Annotated Bibliographies now available:  Right to Conscience
Fetal anomaly indication for abortion Rape or Incest abortion – English.  or Spanish)  Latin America:  Causal violación y/o incesto   (Toronto: International Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Program, 2018).

US-focused news, resources, and legal developments are available  on Repro Rights Prof Blog.   View or subscribe.


JOBS

Links to employers in the field of Reproductive and Sexual Health Law are online here
______________
Compiled by the Coordinator of the International Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Program, reprohealth*law at utoronto.ca For Program publications and resources, see our website, online here. TO JOIN THIS BLOG: enter your email address in upper right corner of this webpage, then check your email to confirm the subscription.

 

 

 

 


Brazil: Zika and human rights obligations, by Debora Diniz

October 31, 2018

Congratulations to  Professor Debora Diniz, whose book Zika: Do Sertão nordestino à ameaça global   [Zika: from the Brazilian backlands to a Global Threat] (Rio de Janeiro: Civilizaçāo Brasileira, 2016) won the 2017 Jabuti Book Prize as the best book on health.  It analyses scientific discoveries regarding Zika in Brazil,  and the impact of the epidemic on poor black and brown women’s lives.  The book is now available in English  and  Portuguese .

Professor Diniz is the founder of the Anis Institute of Bioethics and a law professor at the University of Brasilia.  As she explained in a New York Times op-ed, “The Zika Virus and Brazilian Women’s Right to Choose,” “The Zika epidemic has given Brazil a unique opportunity to look at inequality and reproductive rights, and to change how the country treats women. Asking women to avoid pregnancy without offering the necessary information, education, contraceptives or access to abortion is not a reasonable health policy. Sexual and reproductive rights for all women, poor and rich, must be taken seriously. The government should immediately offer a comprehensive package of sexual and reproductive health care to all Brazilian women, with a specific focus on those at most risk of Zika infection.”   New York Times op-ed.

Since then, a journal article, “Zika Infection in Brazil and Human Rights Obligations,” by  Debora Diniz, Sinara Gumieri, Beatriz Galli Bevilacqua, Rebecca J. Cook and Bernard M. Dickens, (International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 136.1 (2017): 105-110) has been translated and published in Portuguese and Spanish. Since the full texts are now online, we are circulating their abstracts in all three languages, with links to the full text:

Abstract:  The February 2016 WHO declaration that congenital Zika syndrome [CZS] constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern reacted to the outbreak of CZS in Brazil. Public health emergencies can justify a spectrum of human rights responses, but in Brazil the emergency exposed prevailing inequities in the national health care system. The government’s urging to contain the syndrome, which is associated with microcephaly among newborns, is confounded by lack of reproductive health services in Brazil. Poor women in particular have little access to such health services. The emergency also illuminates the harm of restrictive abortion legislation, and potential violations of human rights regarding women’s health and under the UN Conventions on the Rights of the Child and on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Suggestions have been proposed by which the government can remedy the widespread healthcare inequities among the national population that are instructive for other countries where CZS is prevalent.  English article onlineEnglish submitted text.
———————

Infecção por vírus Zika no Brasil e obrigações de direitos humanos” por Debora Diniz, Sinara Gumieri, Beatriz Galli Bevilacqua, Rebecca J. Cook, y Bernard M. Dickens, forthcoming in Revista Uni Brazilia Direito     Artigo em português do Brasil

Resumo: A declaração da Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) em fevereiro de 2016 de que a síndrome congênita do vírus Zika era uma Emergência de Saúde Pública de Interesse Internacional foi uma reação ao surto da síndrome no Brasil. Emergências de saúde pública podem justificar uma gama de respostas de direitos humanos, mas, no Brasil, a emergência expôs desigualdades existentes no sistema de saúde nacional. O desejo do governo de conter a síndrome, que está associada à microcefalia entre recém-nascidos, é frustrado pela falta de serviços de saúde reprodutiva. As mulheres de baixa renda, em especial, têm pouco acesso a tais serviços. A crise também evidencia os danos de uma legislação de acesso ao aborto restritiva e a potencial violação dos direitos humanos em relação à saúde das mulheres e  com base em convenções da ONU sobre os Direitos das Crianças e sobre os Direitos das Pessoas com Deficiência. Algumas sugestões foram propostas para que o governo possa solucionar as imensas desigualdades de acesso à saúde entre a população brasileira, bem como colaborar com outros países nos quais a síndrome congênita do vírus Zika está se espalhando.  Artigo em português do Brasil
————————

Infección por el virus de Zika en Brasil y obligaciones relacionadas con los derechos humanos,” por Debora Diniz, Sinara Gumieri, Beatriz Galli Bevilacqua, Rebecca J. Cook, y Bernard M. Dickens, Boletin FLASOG 5.2( June 2017): 6-12.
Articulo en espanol – Boletin FLASOG, pp 6-12

Resumen:  La declaración emitida por la OMS en febrero de 2016 de que el síndrome congénito por el virus de Zika constituye una emergencia de salud pública de importancia internacional reaccionó al brote del síndrome en Brasil. Las emergencias de salud pública pueden justificar una variedad de respuestas relacionadas con los derechos humanos, pero en Brasil la emergencia expuso desigualdades persistentes en el sistema de salud nacional.   La insistencia del gobierno en contener el síndrome, que está
asociado con la microcefalia entre recién nacidos, se ha visto frustrada por la falta de servicios de salud reproductiva. Las mujeres con bajos ingresos en particular tienen poco acceso a esos servicios de salud. La emergencia también destaca el
daño de la restrictiva legislación referente al aborto y la posible violación de los derechos humanos con relación a la salud de las mujeres y bajo las Convenciones de las Naciones Unidas sobre los Derechos del Niño y sobre los Derechos de las Personas con Discapacidad. Se han propuesto sugerencias mediante las cuales el gobierno puede remediar las desigualdades generalizadas en los servicios de salud entre la población nacional, que son instructivas para otros países donde predomina el síndrome congénito por el virus de Zika.  Articulo en espanol – Boletin FLASOG, pp 6-12


Related works in English  by Debora Diniz:

Zika: from the Brazilian backlands to Global Threat (London: Zed Books, 2017), analyses scientific discoveries regarding Zika in Brazil,  and the impact of the epidemic on poor black and brown women’s lives.  Publisher’s abstract.
Zika: More than a health issue  53-minute  TV interview with English subtitles.
Zika” documentary  30 minutes with English subtitles
“Severina’s Story” documentary  22 minutes with English subtitles


Compiled by the Coordinator of the International Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Program, reprohealth*law at utoronto.ca For Program publications and resources, see our website, online here. TO JOIN THIS BLOG: enter your email address in upper right corner of this webpage, then check your email to confirm the subscription.


Brazil: Implementing international human rights to improve obstetric care

October 31, 2018

Congratulations to Alicia E. Yamin, Beatriz Galli and Sandra Valongueiro, whose article is now available in the Latin American-themed October 2018 issue of the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, in conjunction with the FIGO World Congress, held October 14-19 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  We are pleased to circulate the abstract in English, and (further below) Brazilian Portuguese:

Alicia E Yamin, Beatriz Galli and Sandra Valongueiro. “Implementing international human rights recommendations to improve obstetric care in Brazil,” by  International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 143.1 (October 2018): 114-120    DOI: 10.1002/ijgo.12579.  Download full next now, Free access online for 6 months.

Abstract:  In 2011, the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) issued a groundbreaking decision in the case of Alyne da Silva Pimentel Teixeira versus Brazil involving the maternal death of a young Afro‐Brazilian woman. The CEDAW addressed systemic failures in the Brazilian health system that combined to violate Alyne’s rights to life, health, and access to maternal health services. Almost 5 years later, after significant back and forth between the concerned parties, a technical follow‐up commission was created with the support of the Center for Reproductive Rights, and was welcomed by the government of Brazil. The technical follow‐up commission was precedent‐setting, seeking to move beyond identifying gaps in “compliance” and concentrate instead on issues that might catalyze re‐engagement by national level stakeholders, both governmental and non‐governmental, with the aim of advancing CEDAW’s recommendations through not only the creation, but also the effective implementation, of policies and programs that promote women’s sexual and reproductive rights in practice, including their rights to safe motherhood. Here, the human‐rights‐based framework of the technical follow‐up commission is described, in addition to their findings related to legal and policy frameworks, evidence‐based programing, and monitoring and oversight of providers.

Resumo do artigo:  Em 2011, o Comitê das Nações Unidas para a Eliminação de Todas as Formas de Discriminação contra as Mulheres emitiu uma decisão inovadora contra a morte materna de uma jovem afro-brasileira, Alyne da Silva Pimentel Teixeira. O Comitê CEDAW apontou falhas sistêmicas no sistema de saúde brasileiro que violaram os direitos de Alyne à vida, à saúde e ao acesso a serviços de saúde materna. Quase cinco anos depois, uma Comissão de Acompanhamento Técnico foi criada, com o apoio do Centro de Direitos Reprodutivos, sendo recebida pelo Governo do Brasil. Essa Comissão de Acompanhamento Técnico estabeleceu os precedentes e procurou ir além da identificação de lacunas na “conformidade”, concentrando-se em questões que poderiam catalisar o reengajamento de atores em nível nacional, tanto governamentais como não-governamentais, com o objetivo de avançar as recomendações do Comitê CEDAW, por meio não só da criação, mas também da implementação efetiva, de políticas e programas que promovam os direitos sexuais e reprodutivos das mulheres, incluindo direito à maternidade segura. Este artigo descreve o arcabouço baseado em direitos humanos usado pela Comissão de Acompanhamento Técnico e os achados relevantes para provedores vinculados a estruturas legais e de políticas, programação baseada em evidências e monitoramento e supervisão.

Download full next now, Free access to PDF online for 6 months.

_______________________________________

Compiled by the Coordinator of the International Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Program, reprohealth*law at utoronto.ca For Program publications and resources, see our website, online here. TO JOIN THIS BLOG: enter your email address in upper right corner of this webpage, then check your email to confirm the subscription.