Rape-related abortion: legal and policy aspects – working bibliography

Congratulations and thanks to the Co-Directors, research assistants and advisors of the International Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Program at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law, who recently issued the following annotated bibliography online.

Working Bibliography: Legal and Policy Dimensions of Rape-Related Abortion Services: Court Decisions, Treaty Resources, Policy Guidance and Publications (Toronto: International Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Program, April 21, 2018),
(English Rape bibliography, 39 pages).
 (Spanish Rape bibliography, 40 pages)

This working bibliography was compiled during various legal research, policy and advocacy projects on the delivery of abortion services as a result of rape.  It is work in progress, and also includes a few references to the literature and cases on delivery of emergency contraceptives following rape, post-exposure prophylaxis for sexually transmitted infections, and social services including trauma counselling.  Its objective is to provide resources to stimulate further legal research, policy and advocacy projects to ensure the timely delivery of dignified health care of women who have been raped.
A sister-bibliography of Spanish resources is online here (update in progress)
Please send any suggestions for possible additions to either bibliography to
reprohealth . law @utoronto.ca.

Table of Contents

Court Decisions:  Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, India, Ireland, Peru, Rwanda, United Kingdom, United States, Zimbabwe

Treaty Resources: Regional and International Treaty Bodies
– Decisions, Comments and Observations

Policy Guidance – National and International

Databases that show whether countries allow abortion in cases of rape

Publications 
Articles and Book Chapters
Reports and Resources of Non-Governmental Organizations

Suggestions for further inclusion, in Spanish or English, are welcome at:   reprohealth . law @utoronto.ca.

Acknowledgments:  We are immensely grateful to University of Toronto Law students: Michelle Hayman, Hanna Kofman and Jacqueline Stroz for helping us put this bibliography together, and to Marge Berer, Millicent Bogert and Jaime Todd-Gher for insightful comments on previous drafts.

 

 

 

 

REPROHEALTHLAW Updates – January 2017

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DEVELOPMENTS

Ireland has offered Amanda Jane Mellet 30,000 euros as compensation for denying her access to abortion, forcing her to travel to Britain.  .News article.

Malta:  The morning-after pill will be made available over-the-counter in Malta and will not require a doctor’s prescription. News article.

Northern Ireland teenager is taking National Health Service to supreme court over its refusal to fund abortions for woman from Northern Ireland.  News article.

Tanzania [child marriage] Rebeca Gyumi v. Attorney General Miscellaneous Civil Cause No 5 of 2016 July 8, 2016  (High Court of Tanzania, unreported) decided [Third party consent to girls’ marriage under 18 is unconstitutional – equality argument] Decision online.  Abstract by Godfrey Kangaude.

United Nations General Assembly Adopts Resolution to end Child, Early, and  Forced Marriage Worldwide   (Dec. 19, 2016) CRR Press release.

RESOURCES

[Brazil] “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 (Jan. 2017) 105-110.
PDF online for 12 months.    Submitted typescript.

[Conscience, conscientious objection]  Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 26.1 Special Section:  Table of Contents access
— Conscientious Objection in Healthcare: Problems and Perspectives, by Alberto Giubilini, Julian Savulescu
— Conscientious Objection in Healthcare and Moral Integrity, by Mark Wicclair
— Tolerance, Professional Judgment, and the Discretionary Space of the Physician, by Daniel P. Sulmasy
— Conscientious Objection and “Effective Referral”  by Roger Trigg
— My Conscience May Be My Guide, but You May Not Need to Honor It, by Hugh LaFollette
— The Legal Ethical Backbone of Conscientious Refusal, by Christian Munth, Morten Ebbe Juul Nielsen
— The Cost of Conscience: Kant on Conscience and Conscientious Objection, by Jeanette Kennett
— The Inevitability of Assessing Reasons in Debates about Conscientious Objection in Medicine, by Robert F. Card
— Two Concepts of Conscience and their Implications for Conscience-Based Refusal in Healthcare by Steve Clarke
— Conscientious Objection, Complicity in Wrongdoing, and a Not-So-Moderate Approach by Francesca Minerva
— How to Allow Conscientious Objection in Medicine While Protecting Patient Rights, by Aaron Ancell and Walter Sinnott-Armstrong
— Conscientious Non-objection in Intensive Care, by Dominic Wilkinson  open access

[Latin America]    Sexo, Delitos y Pecados: Intersecciones entre religión, género, sexualidad y el derecho en América Latina [Sex, crimes and sins: Intersections among religion, gender, sexuality and law in Latin America], ed. Macarena Saez and Jose Manuel Moran Faundes. More info and free book download.

JOBS

University of Toronto – Visiting Professor at the Centre for Ethics 2017-2018.   Apply by Feb. 1, 2017.  Visiting Faculty Fellowships.

Links to other 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.

REPROHEALTHLAW – Decisions, Courses and Resources

REPROHEALTHLAW
February 26, 2015

DECISIONS:

CEDAW:  Ángela González Carreño v. Spain – decision of July 18, 2014, held the State responsible for gender violence and negligence that led to child’s murder.  Decision now available in 6 languages.  Case overview and details.

European Commission:  Historic decision Jan 8, 2015 from the European Commission grants 120 million women access to ellaOne (ulipristal acetate) emergency contraception over-the-counter without prescription throughout the European Union,  Europe press release.     Ministry of Health in Poland will allow sales over-the-counter, including to teens over 15 (age of consent).   Poland press release.  So far, only Hungary insists on prescriptions.  Hungary press release.

COURSES:
“Women and International Human Rights Law” Intensive course taught by Elizabeth Abi-Mershed and Rebecca Cook
“Mujeres y el Derecho Internacional de los Derechos Humanos” por Monica Roa y Julissa Mantilla
Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Washington College of Law, American University, Washington DC, USA,  program runs May 26 to June 12, 2015, brochure online.
This Advanced Progam includes 16 other English or Spanish intensive courses taught by more than 40 prominent human rights scholars and practitioners.  Apply by May 1, 2015 using this link.

RESOURCES

[abortion – new book] Good Catholics: The Battle over Abortion in the Catholic Church, by Patricia Miller, University of California Press, 2014, 344 pp.  Description and Table of Contents.  3 reviews in Conscience Magazine.

Abortion Law in Transnational Perspective:  Cases and Controversies, ed. Rebecca J. Cook, Joanna N. Erdman and Bernard M. Dickens, 16 chapters.  University of Pennsylvania Press, 2014, 482 pages. Introduction by the editors: online through SSRN. Book reviewers should contact Gigi Lamm (glamm {a} pobox. upenn. edu) Includes 16 chapters, Table of Legislation, Table of Cases, also online here, with links to abortion-related decisions in English and/or other languages). Table of Contents online here. Purchase info: link to U Penn Press.

—Why I Edited This Book, Abortion Law in Transnational Perspective: Cases and Controversies  Blog post by Joanna Erdman.

[abortion] Reproductive Health Matters  special issue “Law and the Courts” (Vol. 22, Issue 44),  Available online to institutional subscribers.
Issue Highlights:
—“Contesting the cruel treatment of abortion-seeking women,” by Ruth Fletcher
—“Abortion in Chile: the practice under a restrictive regime” by Lidia Casas and Lieta Vivaldi
—“The shifting politics in multilateral development and human rights negotiations and the absence of accountability,” by Stuart Halford and Sandeep Prasad
—“Can a restrictive law serve a protective purpose? The impact of age-restrictive laws on young people’s access to sexual and reproductive health services” by Elizabeth Yarrow, Kirsten Anderson, Kara Apland, and Katherine Watson
—” Gender inequality in Russia: the perspective of participatory gender budgeting” by Venera Zakirova

[Africa – new book]  Strengthening the protection of sexual and reproductive health and rights in the African region through human rights, ed. Charles Ngwena and Ebenezer Durojaye (Pretoria, South Africa:  Pretoria University Law Press (PULP), 2014) 12 chapters, 365 pages.   Entire book PDF   Overview and Table of Contents.

[Africa: Nigeria/Global]  Comparative Health Law and Policy:   Critical Perspectives on Nigerian and Global Health Law,  ed. Irehobhude O. Iyioha and Remigius N. Nwabueze (UK:  Ashgate 2015), 335 pages.  summary and table of contents.

[Conscience]  “Making Decisions About Decision-Making: Conscience, Regulation and the Law,” José Miola, University of Leicester School of Law Research Paper No. 15-02. Online through SSRN.

“Litigating Reproductive Health Rights in the Inter-American System: What Does a Winning Case Look Like?” by Ciara O’Connell, (2015). Health and Human Rights Journal 16(2) (2014); RegNet Research Paper No. 2015/62. Article online through SSRN.

New Resources in Spanish:

[Human Rights to assisted reproduction] “El derecho humano a contar con asistencia médica para fundar una familia,” by Bernard Dickens,  in Bioética, reproducción y familia,  ed. Fernando Zegers H.  & Sofía P. Salas, (Santiago: Ediciones Universidad Diego Portales, 2014), 83-115.  Spanish overview of the book

[Conscientious Objection and Compromise] “Objeción de conciencia y compromiso en conciencia,” by Bernard Dickens in Bioética, reproducción y familia,  ed. Fernando Zegers H.  & Sofía P. Salas, (Santiago: Ediciones Universidad Diego Portales, 2014), 145-182.  Spanish overview of the book

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

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, Resources and News

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.

LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS:

Ireland: Detailed guidelines on legal abortion released: Termination permitted when there is “real and substantial threat” to a woman’s life – News article July 2014.

Kenya:  High Court:  Police should investigate child sexual assaults.   C.K. (a child) (Through Ripples International As Her Guardian And Next Friend) & 11 Others  v.  Commissioner of Police/Inspector General of the National Police Service,  & 3 Others [2013] eKLR  Decision online.  Summary by law student.

Peru adopts National Guidelines, an important step to clarify rights to safe abortion services, in response to CEDAW “LC” decision of 2011.  News  July 2014.  Center for Reproductive Rights press release.

Zimbabwe Supreme Court finds State liable for preventing emergency contraception after rape but not termination of pregnancy.  Mildred Mapingure v Minister of Home Affairs, No. SC 22/14, 25 March 2014, Supreme Court of Zimbabwe.  Court  Decision online.    Summary by law student.

EVENTS:

“Overcoming Obstacles – Towards the effective implementation of the rights of women with disabilities in Africa, Conference at the Center for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, South Africa, Tues/Wed Nov 4-5, 2014.  Conference invitation.

FIGO World Congress 2015, Vancouver, BC,  Canada,  Oct 4-9, 2015 .  Congress 2015 website

RESOURCES:

[abortion, Brazil]  “Modern-Day Inquisition: A Report on Criminal Persecution, Exposure of Intimacy and Violation of Rights in Brazil,” by Alexandra Lopes da Costa, in: SUR – International Journal On Human Rights, 10.19, Dec. 2013. Abstract and article online.

Abortion Law in Transnational Perspective:  Cases and Controversies, ed. Rebecca J. Cook, Joanna N. Erdman and Bernard M. Dickens, 16 chapters.  Published by University of Pennsylvania Press, August 2014, 482 pages.
Introduction by the editors: online through SSRN.
Book reviewers should contact Gigi Lamm (glamm {a} pobox. upenn. edu)
Includes 16 chapters, Table of Legislation,
Table of Cases, also online here, with links to abortion-related decisions in English and/or other languages).
Table of Contents online here.
Purchase info: link to U Penn Press.

“Abortion Privacy/Abortion Secrecy – What’s the Difference and Why Does It Matter?””  video guest-lecture by US professor Carol Sanger at Birmingham Law School, UK, April 29, 2014, 53 minute lecture by Prof. Sanger.
Written comment by Prof. Máiréad Enright on the Human Rights in Ireland blog, June 6, 2014.  Written comment by Prof. Enright

[adolescents – El Salvador, Senegal and United Kingdom]  Over-protected and under-served: Legal barriers to young people’s access to sexual and reproductive health services.  Case studies 32-60 pages each.

[Canada]  “Choice, Interrupted: Travel and Inequality of Access to Abortion Services Since the 1960s,” Christabelle Sethna, Beth Palmer, Katrina Ackerman, and Nancy Janovicek, Labour/Le Travail, 71 (Spring 2013), 29-48.  Abstract and article online.

[Colombia]  Case Study on Colombia: Judicial Standards on Abortion to Advance the Agenda of the Cairo Programme of Action, by Ana Cristina González Vélez and Viviana Bohórquez Monsalve, SUR – International Journal On Human Rights, v. 10, n. 19, Dec. 2013.  Abstract and article online.

[Colombia]  “Movement and Counter-Movement: A History of Abortion Law Reform and Backlash in Colombia, 2006-2014” by Alba Ruibal,  (November 20, 2014). Reproductive Health Matters, Vol. 22, No. 44, November 2014, Forthcoming. Abstract online.

[Conscientious objection in healthcare – Colombia Constitutional Court’s definition of 2009]
—-T388/2009:  “Conscientious Objection And Abortion. A Global Perspective On The Colombian Experience,”   English, 198 pages    Spanish, 210 pages    (Joint publication by Women’s Link Worldwide and the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law.

—“Striking a Balance: Conscientious Objection and Reproductive Health Care from the Colombian Perspective,”  by Luisa Cabal, Monica Arango Olaya, Valentina Montoya Robledo,  Health and Human Rights Dec.  2014, 16/2.  Special issue on Health Rights Litigation.   Abstract and article online.

—see also:  “Healthcare responsibilities and Conscientious Objection” by R. J. Cook, M. Arango Olaya and B.M. Dickens,  International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 104 (2009): 249-252. English original.   Spanish translation.  Other “Ethical and Legal Issues in Reproductive Health”

[emergency contraception, Chile] “Morning-After Decisions: Legal Mobilization against Emergency Contraception in Chile,” by Fernando Muñoz León,  Michigan Journal of Gender and Law 21(2014):123-175.  Article online.

Health and Human Rights Resource Guide – updated 5th edition, from Harvard University. Searchable, available in English, Spanish and Georgian.  Resource Guide.

Health & Human Rights Syllabi Database has moved to USC:  Overview online.

[Late-stage clinical trials]  “Ethical issues for late-stage trials of multipurpose prevention technologies for HIV and pregnancy,” by Jessica A. Cohen, Anna C. Mastroianni and Ruth Macklin,  International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 127 (2014) 221–224.  Abstract and article online.

[Sexual and Gender-based Crimes]:  Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda of International Criminal Court publishes comprehensive Policy Paper.  More info and download.

[South Africa] “The Nasciturus Non-Fiction – The Libby Gonen Story – Contemporary Reflections on the Status of Nascitural Personhood in South African Law, by Marc Schulman (March 31, 2014 working paper).  Abstract and article online. 

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

NEWS:

Czech Republic: Controversial abortion pill (RU-486) goes on sale in Czech pharmacies.  English edition and Czech radio report.

Northern Ireland:  Public consultation on proposal to allow abortion for fetus with lethal abnormality  Newspaper article

JOBS / INTERNSHIPS

Global Legal Program 2015 Summer Internship at New York office- apply as soon as possible, before Nov 28, 2014 applications accepted on rolling basis.  Global internship details.

Legal Adviser for Latin America and the Caribbean, Bogota Colombia, Legal adviser LAC details.

US Federal Policy Law Student Intern, Center for Reproductive Rights, New York, USA.   Apply for Spring 2015 by Oct. 29, 2014  US internship details

Links to other employers in the field of Reproductive and Sexual Health Law are online here http://www.law.utoronto.ca/documents/reprohealth/joblinks.doc

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.

Developments, resources, news, scholarships & opportunities

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.

DECISIONS AND CASES

CEDAW decision:  S.V.P. v. Bulgaria, CEDAW, UN Doc. CEDAW/C/53/D/31/2011 held state accountable for inadequate legal protections and failure to exercise due diligence re girl (“V.P.P.”) subjected to sexual violence and molestation by adult neighbour.
CEDAW decision dated November 24, 2012, online. 
Case summary by Simone Cusack online.  

Inter-American Court of Human Rights – El Salvador Government being sued over treatment of Beatriz and Criminalization of Abortion.  Lawsuit filed November 29, 2013 by the Citizen Group for the Decriminalization of Abortion in El Salvador, the Feminist Collective for Local Development, CEJIL (Center for Justice and International Law), and Ipas Central America.
English article online.   Spanish article online.

United States – Catholic hospitals:  American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing US Catholic bishops for hospital directives below standard of care for pregnant woman.  Press release online.

RESOURCES

[abortion]  “Reductions in abortion-related mortality following policy reform: evidence from Romania, South Africa and Bangladesh,” by Janie Benson, Kathryn Andersen and Ghazaleh Samandari  Reproductive Health 8.39 (2011). Abstract and Article online here.

[abortion, health, human rights.] New book:  Health and Human Rights by  Thérèse Murphy, (Oxford: Hart Publishing 2013)  includes chapter on reproductive rights:  “The Dignity of Choice” pp. 159-187.  Book details online.

[abortion – Ireland] Ruth Fletcher’s submission to the Oireachtas Abortion Hearings (May 21, 2013)
available in Human Rights in Ireland blog May 22, 2013
8 minute radio spot – MP3 file May 21, 2013
Other abortion posts on Human Rights in Ireland blog.

[abortion – Ireland – women forced to travel]  “Peripheral governance: administering transnational healthcare flows,” by Ruth Fletcher, in International Journal of Law in Context 9 (2013):160-191,  doi:10.1017/S1744552313000074  Abstract online.

[abortion- mifepristone (RU-486) not approved in Canada] “Medical abortion in Canada:  Behind the Times,” by Sheila Dunn and Rebecca Cook.   Canadian Medical Association Journal, Nov. 25, 2013
Early view extract online.
Globe and Mail newspaper article.    Toronto Star newspaper article.

[conscientious objection]   “Let Conscience Be Their Guide? Conscientious Refusals in Health Care” Bioethics special issue,
Table of Contents with full text access for institutional subscribers.

—Editorial by volume editors Carolyn McLeod and Jocelyn Downie (pages ii–iv)

—“Am I My Profession’s Keeper?  by Avery Kolers, (pp. 1-7).

—“Conscientious Refusal and Health Professionals: Does Religion Make a Difference?” by Daniel Weinstock, pp. 8-15

—“Justification for Conscience Exemptions in Health Care” by Lori Kantymir and Carolyn McLeod (pp 16-23).

—“A Neglected Aspect of Conscience: Awareness of Implicit Attitudes” by Chloë Fitzgerald (pp 24–32).

—“Welcome to the Wild, Wild North: Conscientious Objection Policies Governing Canada’s Medical, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Dental Professions,” by Jacquelyn Shaw and Jocelyn Downie (pp 33–46).

[emergency contraception and conscientious objection, Italy]    “Whose Self-Determination? Barriers to Access to Emergency Hormonal Contraception in Italy” by  Emanuela Ceva and Sofia Moratti, Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal 23.2 (2013): 139-67. Abstract and article online here.

[ethical and legal issues in reproductive health] Full texts of concise papers on Ethical and Legal Issues in Reproductive Health, published in the International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology since 1999.  Wide range of topics,  including vitro fertilization, access to reproductive health information, applying human rights to maternal health, WHO guidance on safe abortion and harm reduction.   Full texts online on our website.

[health and human rights] Book:  Advancing the Human Right to Health, ed. Jose M. Zuniga, Stephen P. Marks, Lawrence O Gostin (Oxford University Press, 2013)  includes chapters on Brazil, China, Ghana, Haiti, Japan, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, the Philippines, the United Kingdom and the United States; also includes:
—“Advancing the right to health through litigation,” by Oscar A Cabrera and Ana S. Ayala
—“The right to health in post-apartheid era South Africa,” by Charles Ngwena, Rebecca Cook, and Ebenezer Durojaye    Book details online here.

[reproductive health, MDGs] “New development paradigms post-2015 for health, SRHR and gender equality, includes experiences from Brazil, India, Kenya, Lao PDR, Mexico, Nigeria,  South Africa and Uganda,  all in current issue of Reproductive Health Matters 21.42 (Nov. 2013).
Articles and Table of Contents are online here.

NEWS

[abortion – Australia, New South Wales (NSW)] – Decriminalise abortion: pro-choice in practice is not the same as legal protection by Prof. George Williams, Professor of Law at University of NSW.  “Zoe’s Law” (now a bill) would protect the unborn fetus.  Comment in the Sydney Morning Herald.

[abortion] “Israel’s Secular-Religious Abortion Compromise”  discusses legal context.  Online news article.

[emergency contraception – levonorgestrel] European authorities involved in the process decided to include the following statement in the levonorgestrel labeling: ‎”In clinical trials, contraceptive efficacy was reduced in women weighing 75 kg or more and levonorgestrel was not effective in women who weighed more than 80 kg.”

[Europe] Estrela report on SRHR sent back to European Parliament by FEMM.   Briefing paper for Dec 10, 2013 vote.

Russia:  Putin signs law banning abortion advertisement in Russia.  News article online.

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

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

“CEDAW for Change” Institute: May 24 – 31, 2014 in Toronto, Canada. Weekend workshop on the UN human rights system (May 24-25), followed by a five-day intensive on CEDAW (May 27-31). Details are online here.

International Women’s Human Rights Education Institute 2014 August 4 – 15, 2014 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Course limited to 30 students– First come, first served. Application period starts January 1, 2014.  Details are online here.

Master of Health Science (MHSc) in Bioethics Program at the University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics. Program is course-based, no thesis, 2 years, part-time in modular format for busy professionals. Apply by March 1, 2014.  Details are online here.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND FELLOWSHIPS

Leadership and Advocacy for Women in Africa (LAWA) Fellowship Program, at at Georgetown University in Washington DC.  Application deadline is January 14, 2014. Details are online here.

Visiting Fellows Program at Harvard Law School 2014-15, for human rights scholars or practitioners anywhere in the world. Apply by January 15, 2014.  Details are online here.

Gordon F. Henderson Post doctoral Fellowship  May 2014-May 2015, at The Human Rights Research and Education Centre, University of Ottawa.  Apply by Jan. 31, 2014.  Details are online here.  For more info. call  613-562-5800, ext 3462 or email psimons{at}uottawa.ca.

Columbia Law School – Center for Reproductive Rights Fellowship 2014-2016,  for recent law school graduates interested in careers in teaching law – Deadline has been extended to February 28, 2014.    Details are online here.

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

TO RECEIVE THESE UPDATES MONTHLY: enter your email address in upper right corner of this webpage, then check your email to confirm the subscription.

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.

Decisions, Calls, Resources, News & Jobs

REPROHEALTHLAW-L
November 22, 2013

DECISIONS

Australia – Tasmania: New abortion law allows terminations up to 16 weeks with the woman’s consent, and after that if two doctors agree on medical or psychological grounds.  News article

Brazil:  New law guarantees treatment, including emergency contraception, for rape victims in public hospitals.   English news.  Spanish news.

CEDAW General recommendation No. 30 on women in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations, Paragraph 52 mentions “access to sexual and reproductive health and rights information; . . . family
planning services, including emergency contraception;. . .  safe abortion services; post-abortion care . . .” Advance Unedited version, October 13, 2013  CEDAW Gen. Rec. 30.

European Court of Human Rights:   Costa and Pavan v. Italy, No. 54270/10, 28th August 2012 (re assisted reproduction), found violation of Article 8.   Ban preventing healthy carriers of cystic fibrosis from screening embryos for in vitro fertilisation, despite existence of right to therapeutic abortion in domestic law.  Court decided violation of Article 8, Right to respect for private and family life.   Decision online.  Brief Comment by Adriana DiStefano  in Strasbourg Observer. Academic article by Gregor Puppinck online at SSRN.

Ireland: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013 allows abortion only when woman’s life is at risk, including from suicide. signed into law July 30, 2013.   Newspaper article.    CRR Legal Analysis.  Articles in special issue of Irish Journal of Legal Studies:  O’Sullivan et al.   Schweppe et al.

Ireland:  Verdict of “medical misadventure” in 2010 maternal death in Irish hospital.  Bimbo Onanuga (32) died after being induced to deliver a stillborn baby.  News article.     Details of case from Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services (AIMS), Ireland.

CALLS

Call for Applications, PhD Fellowship in Gender Equality Measurement, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada – Apply by Jan 15, 2014.  Fellowship details.  Facebook page.

Call for Abstracts and Conference Registration. “Eliminating Women and Girls’ Sexual and Reproductive Health Vulnerabilities in Africa”, 6th Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights,  Yaounde, Cameroon,  February 3-7, 2014,
Conference announcement. 
Call for Abstracts, due Dec 13, 2013  
Registration.  Early bird deadline: 15 December 2013.

Call for Submissions on  Child Early and Forced Marriage  to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) due Dec 15, 2013, for a UN Report.  Details online.

RESOURCES:

[abortion – Australia] “The Legal and Factual Status of Abortion in Australia,” by Ronli Sifris (2013) 38:2 Alternative Law Journal 108.  Article online.

[abortion] “Dignity and the Duty to Protect Unborn Life,” by Reva B. Siegel  in Understanding Human Dignity ed. Christopher McCrudden, 2014) Forthcoming; Yale Law School, Public Law Working Paper No. 294. Article online.

[abortion- Brazil] “Brazilians have different views on when abortion should be legal, but most do not agree with imprisoning women for abortion.” by Anibal Faundes, Graciana Alves Duarte, Maria Helena de Sousa, Rodrigo Pauperio Soares Camargo, and Rodolfo Carvalho Pacagnella, Reproductive Health Matters featured article online.

[abortion – European Union] Draft Report on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, Rapporteur: Edite Estrela, calls for universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights throughout Europe, including  safe and legal abortion services.   After controversial debate, report was sent back to the Committee.  15-page report.

[abortion – funding – Canada] “Analysis of Canada’s refusal to fund abortion services abroad.”  Policy brief prepared by Action Canada for Population and Development (ACPD) 4 page analysis.

[abortion – Ireland)  “Article 40.3.3 and the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: The Impetus for, and Process of, Legislative Change,” by Catherine O’Sullivan, Jennifer Schweppe and Eimear A. Spain, (2013) Irish Journal of Legal Studies 1-17.  Introduction to special issue.

[abortion – Ireland] “When is a Foetus Not an Unborn? Fatal Foetal Abnormalities and Article 40.3.3” by Jennifer Schweppe and Eimear A. Spain, (2013) Irish Journal of Legal Studies 92-110. Article online.

[abortion – Ireland, Poland] Procedural Obligations Under the European Convention on Human Rights: An Instrument to Ensure a Broader Access to Abortion, by Gregor Puppinck, Zeszyty Prawnicze (Waszawa), SSN-1643-8183, 2013.  Abstract and article online.

[abortion – Muslim-majority countries] Liberal abortion rights in some Muslim-majority countries, by Gilla Shapiro. Literature review.

[abortion – Northern Ireland] draft “Guidance on the Limited Circumstances of Termination of Pregnancy” issued by Department of Health in Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland draft guidelines.   Rights-based critique  by Dr. Catherine O’Rourke, critique online.

[abortion – Poland] Women’s Reproductive Rights as a Political Price of Post-Communist Transformation in Poland”  by Joanna Diane Caytas, Amsterdam Law Forum 5.2 (Spring 2013): 64-89.  Article online

[abortion: South Africa] “Personhood: Proving the Significance of the Born-Alive Rule with Reference to Medical Knowledge of Foetal Viability”  by Camilla Pickles,  2013 24(1) Stellenbosch Law Review 146-164.  Abstract online.

Abortion stigma webinar summary, based on research by ANSIRH and Ipas.  Abortion stigma webinars.

[Abortion – Uganda] “The Stakes are High:  The Tragic Impact of Unsafe Abortion and Inadequate Access to Contraception in Uganda,” 2013 report from the Center for Reproductive Rights and Georgetown law school.  74-page report

[assisted reproduction] “The Case of Costa and Pavan v. Italy and the Convergence between Human Rights and Biotechnologies. Commentary on the ECHR Ruling in Costa and Pavan v. Italy, No. 54270/10, 28th August 2012,” Quaderni di Diritto Mercato Tecnologia – N°3, Anno III  (2013). Abstract and article online.

[CEDAW] The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, A Commentary. ed. Marsha A. Freeman, Christine Chinkin, and Beate Rudolf, Oxford 2012   Now available in Paperback and eBook.  paperback details.

[conscience] “Freedom of Conscience in Health Care: Distinctions and Limits,” Sean Murphy and Stephen J. Genuis, Journal of Bioethical Inquiry 10.3 (Oct 2013) pp 347-354, online here.

[emergency contraception] “A review of global access to emergency contraception,” by Elizabeth Westley, Nathalie Kapp, Tia Palermo, Jennifer Bleck in International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 123 (2013) 4–6.  Online by subscription.

Global Health and Human Rights Database (new)  a free and fully searchable online database of more than 1000 judgments, constitutions and international instruments on the intersection between health and human rights. GH&HR database online.

Health and Human Rights Syllabus Database (new) includes dozens of syllabi from universities around the world.  H&HR Syllabus Database.

[health and human rights] “Bringing Justice to Health: The Impact of Legal Empowerment Projects on Public Health” [profiles projects based in Indonesia, Kenya, Macedonia, Russia, South Africa & Uganda] 58-page report from Open Society.     Summary.

[maternal mortality – causes and factors]  “Why Did Mrs. X Die?: Retold”(2012)  updated remake of World Health Organization 1988 film by Dr. Mahmoud Fathalla, explores socio-economic factors that pave the road to maternal death.  In English and Arabic:
English 15 minute video.   Arabic 15 minute video.

[maternal mortality – CEDAW – Brazil – Alyne] “Evaluating States’ Failure to Eliminate Discrimination against Women using Substantive Equality” by Meghan Campbell, OP CEDAW blog article.

[Tanzania]  “Forced Out:  Mandatory Pregnancy Testing and the Expulsion of Pregnant Students in Tanzanian Schools,” Center for Reproductive Rights – 80-page report.

US-focused news, resources, and legal developments are available on Repro Rights Prof Blog.  View or subscribe:
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/reproductive_rights/

NEWS

[abortion – Ireland] Three Irish women forced to travel for abortions to take cases to UN — Ireland’s ban on abortions for fatal foetal abnormalities amounts to ’cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment’  Article in Irish Times.  CRR Press Release re case of Amanda Mellet.   Article in Independent.

[Bolivia] UN Human Rights Committee recommendations call on Bolivia to cease prosecuting women for illegal abortions and to remove judicial barriers to legal abortion. Ipas Press Release.

[Chile] Controversial case [of “Belem” – pregnant 11-year-old abused by her stepfather] opens up discussion of abortion in Chile.  News article.
Spanish Petition to decriminalize abortion in Chile  Petition online.
Spanish video about decriminalizing abortion in Chile.  Online here.
Spanish Declaration by NGOs – NGO declaration

Dominican Republic: Women’s Link Worldwide and the Colectiva Mujer y Salud filed a case in the Dominican Republic on behalf of Rosa Hernández, whose daughter Esperancita  was denied therapeutic abortion, leukemia treatment and palliative care which might affect the fetus.
Details from Women’s Link Worldwide

China one-child law change small but crucial, say experts.  Only-child parents may have two children.  News article.

JOBS

Assistant/Associate Professor of African Studies/Women’s Studies,  Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania, U.S.    Apply by  November 30, 2013.  PSU job details.

Assistant Professor, Women, Gender And Sexuality Studies,  Oregon State University, Corvallis Oregon
Apply by  December 1, 2013  OSU job details.

Visiting Assistant Professor or Instructor, Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies, Middlebury College,  Middlebury, Vermont, USA, Apply by December 9, 2013  Middlebury job details.

Technical Support Consultant on women’s human rights – based on CEDAW recommendations.   UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Home-based, Closing date: November 30, 2013.  Expert roster

Links to other 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.

Decisions, Events, Fellowships, Resources, News & Jobs

REPROHEALTHLAW
May 14, 2013

DECISIONS

European Court of Human Rights:  Valiuliene v. Lithuania.    State held liable for failure to investigate effectively into complaints of domestic violence.  Decision online.
 Women’s Lobby Report online.

India:  Voluntary Health Association of Punjab v Union of India & Ors  [2013] INSC 289
Supreme Court, 4 March 2013.  stricter rules to regulate pre-conception and prenatal diagnosis to enforce 1994 prohibition on sex selection.  Decision online

Scotland, UK:   Petition  of Mary Teresa Doogan and Concepta Wood for Judicial Review of a decision of Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board.  Midwives in administrative capacity allowed conscientious refusal to supervise staff who perform abortions.  Decision online. 
   —“Catholic midwives win landmark legal battle over objection to abortions” News report
   —“When Health-Care Providers Refuse Care, Whose Rights Are at Stake?” Comment by Marianne Møllmann, Amnesty International
   —“Conscientious Objection in Scotland:  A Worrying Precedent”  Comment by Louise Finer, Reproductive Health Matters.

EDUCATIONAL EVENTS
Third Latin American Legal Congress on Reproductive Rights, Cuernavaca, Morelos – Mexico, October 14-16, 2013. 
Congress details.

“Monitoring the Implementation of CEDAW toward Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights” ASIL-AU Continuing Legal Education Institutes, 3-part course series on Human Rights.    Part 1 of 3 features speakers Rebecca Cook, Sarah Craven and Cristina Finch.
May 29, 2013, Washington DC   Course event information. 

FELLOWSHIPS
Fellowship  (for law graduates), Avon Global Center for Women and Justice at Cornell Law School, Itaca, NY, USA, Apply by May 24, 2013.  Cornell Fellowship Information.

Health Equity – Summer Fellowship:  Women’s College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care, Toronto, Canada, 2 month fellowship with $5000 stipend,  “Justice in Healthcare” is one of the proposal topics sought, Project proposals due May 24, 2013.  Health Equity Fellowship

RESOURCES:

[abortion] Remaking the case for a woman’s right to choose, by Ann Furedi, reprinted in bpas Reproductive Review, April 26, 2013. 
Article online.

[abortion, Ecuador]  The Struggle for Abortion Rights in Ecuador, by Heather Sayette, IPPF.   Online  article.

Bioethics Training Curriculum from FIGO – includes basic principles and 25 case studies in Reproductive Health, can be used freely to train healthcare personnel.  Download from FIGO 

[emergency contraception] European Consortium for Emergency Contraception – New website. 

Infanticide & “after birth” abortion, special issue of Journal of Medical Ethics 39.5 (May 2013)  Journal of Medical Ethics issue

“Human Rights and Maternal Health: Exploring the Effectiveness of the Alyne decision” by Rebecca J. Cook, Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics 41.1 (2013): 103-23.  Article online through academic libraries.  Portuguese translation forthcoming in Revista de Direito Estados.

[human rights] “Applying Human Rights to Maternal Health: UN Technical Guidance on Rights-Based Approaches,” by Alicia Ely Yamin, International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 121 (2013) 190–193. Article and abstract online.

Maternal Mortality, Human Rights and Accountability (new book) ed. Paul Hunt and Tony Gray.  Book information online.

[Mexico] Omisión e Indiferencia:  Derechos Reproductivos en México – detailed analysis of the advances, unfulfilled debts and setbacks to reproductive rights in Mexico. 2007-2013.  English translation forthcoming.   Report in Spanish online.

“Movement Litigation and Unilateral Disarmament,” by Richard S. Price and Thomas Keck, [Using two US right-to-life litigation case studies, this article disputes the common assumption that reproductive rights advocates refrain from litigation, confining themselves to legislative approaches.] Working paper online.

[Nigeria] “Legal Right to Maternal Health in Nigeria – Why Not?” by Aniaka Angel-Jacinta Oluchi.   Working Paper online.

[U.S.] Equality Arguments for Abortion Rights , by Neil Siegel & Reva B. Siegel,  UCLA Law Review Discourse, Vol. 60, 2013.   Article online.  

NEWS:

Argentina:  Doctors are under investigation for refusing to perform a legal abortion procedure during life-threatening pregnancy in 2011.  Woman lost physical mobility by carrying pregnancy to term.  Spanish news article. 

Canada: Alberta halts program for low-cost birth control. Regulatory concerns force halt to program.   News article.

Ecuador guarantees right to free emergency contraception. 
News article.

El Salvador: Beatriz case — woman with anencephalic fetus is being denied life saving medical intervention. 
Appeal from Amnesty International
   —[Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights] “Human Rights Bodies  Call on El Salvador to Provide Life-Saving Abortion. 
Report in blog article. 

India:  Time limit of abortions raised to 63 days (9 weeks), formerly 7 weeks. News report.

India Rape Law:  Parliament passes strict sexual violence legislation.”  News report.

Irish government puts forward draft abortion bill, includes suicide.  News report.   Catholic Church dissent.

Malawi: Gender Equality Bill -Section 19(1) gives “every person a right whether or not to have a child” and complies with CEDAW.   Minister of Gender’s Statement to UN Commission on the Status of Women, session 57.    Church dissent.

Malawi:  Domestic Violence Bill signed by President.  News report.

Mexico:   Supreme Court Invalidates Queretaro constitutional article that “recognizes, protects and guarantees the right to life of every human being from the moment of fertilization.”(April 29, 2013). 
English news article.     Spanish news article. 

Uruguay legalizes same-sex marriage. 
News report.   Amnesty comment. 

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

JOBS
Legal Adviser for Europe & Global Advocacy Programs (based in
Geneva),  The Center for Reproductive Rights,  Geneva, Switzerland.  Apply by May 29, 2013.  Job details.   

Program Associate – Women’s Rights and Reproductive Rights,  Wellspring Advisors, LLC.  New York, NY, USA.  Apply by  May 17, 2013.    Job details. 

Links to other 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.

UN anti-torture rapporteur denounces RSH violations

Congratulations to Christina Zampas, who recently became a Fellow of our International Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Program, working on issues concerning the intersection of reproductive rights and the exercise of religion.   We thank her for reviewing this new UN report and summarizing its contributions to the realization of reproductive rights.    

New UN Report:  sexual and reproductive rights violations may amount to torture

On February 1, 2013, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, Juan E. Méndez, issued a report focusing on forms of abuses in health-care settings that may amount to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.  The first UN report of its kind, it addresses issues concerning the mistreatment of various vulnerable groups and identifies measures that states can take to prevent such mistreatment. It covers numerous sexual and reproductive rights violations, including some that have not been fully addressed before by the UN human rights system. 

This report joins a growing number of international human rights mechanisms that are using International Federation for Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) and other health professional guidelines to develop groundbreaking human rights standards.  For instance, the Rapporteur relied on FIGO’s new guidelines on sterilization to find that sterilization can never be medically justified on therapeutic grounds and may constitute torture or ill treatment. The report addresses the pervasive practice of involuntary sterilization of women with disabilities and the mistreatment of “intersex” children (born with atypical sex characteristics) who are subjected to medically unnecessary and involuntary sex assignment, sterilization and/or genital-normalizing surgery, in an attempt to “fix their sex.”  Such forced or coerced practices often occur through third-party authorization or substitute decision-making. The Rapporteur calls on states to repeal laws allowing such involuntary “treatments” and to outlaw forced and coerced sterilization under all circumstances.

The report reinforces human rights standards which recognize that the abuse and mistreatment of women seeking reproductive health services, especially abortion, can cause tremendous and lasting physical and emotional suffering, inflicted on the basis of gender. For example, the Rapporteur joins the European Court of Human Rights in recognizing the denial of information concerning one’s pregnancy as a violation of human rights. The case at the European Court of Human Rights, RR v Poland, found a violation of the right to be free from inhuman and degrading treatment when a pregnant woman was intentionally denied access to a prenatal test in order to prevent her from undergoing an abortion.   

The report failed, however, to address the full range of reproductive rights violations women experience, including the pervasive practice of denying women access to emergency contraception after unprotected sex, even in cases of rape.  Last year the UN Committee Against Torture, which monitors state compliance with the Convention Against Torture, articulated this denial as a form of cruel and inhuman treatment and recommended that a state party guarantee access to emergency contraception to victims of rape. 

 Special Rapporteur’s report is online here. 

For  FIGO’s  Contraceptive Sterilization Guidelines, 2011,
see  page 122 of FIGO’s booklet of ethical guidelines, online here.

Link to CRR webpage on RR v Poland is online here. 

UN Committee Against Torture’s  concluding observations to Peru, January 2013, para 15, calling for the legalization of emergency contraception to victims of rape, are discussed here.

Dr. Ronli Sifris’s thesis abstract on Abortion Restrictions, Involuntary Sterilization and the Convention on Torture or CDIT is available here.

U.S. Judge orders FDA to remove age restriction for access to Emergency Contraception

Congratulations to our esteemed colleagues at The Center for Reproductive Rights,  who won their renewed lawsuit against the Food and Drug Agency (FDA)  in federal court in Brooklyn, New York
on April 5, 2013.

The FDA’s denial of approval to make the “Plan-B One Step” emergency contraception available over-the-counter (OTC), without prescription, to women of all ages was considered “arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable.”  The judge also found  a “a strong showing of bad faith and improper political influence” by the Obama Administration in refusing OTC approval.   The judge has ordered that, within 30 days, Plan B One-Step must be available over-the-counter at point of sale,  without any age restriction.  

This is a huge victory.   The decision is significant in developing the legal norms to ensure accessibility to emergency contraception in the US.   The standard for suing a federal agency over its decisions is a very tough one.  The Center should be very proud of its courage in bringing this case and its tenacity in litigating it.

For details, see CRR’s initial press release,  online here.

An overview of CRR’s decade-long litigation campaign is online here.

Media coverage from The New York Times  is online here.

RH Reality Check blog comments are online here.

The entire decision, Tummino et al. v. Hamburg et al.,
can be downloaded here.

Decisions, Guidelines, Courses, Resources, News & Jobs

REPROHEALTHLAW-L
April 10, 2013

DECISION

United States:  Emergency Contraception must be made available over-the-counter, without prescription, to women of all ages.
Decision of April 5, 2013,  Tummino et al. v. Hamburg et al.
can be downloaded here.
Initial press release from Center for Reproductive Rights:  online here.
Overview of CRR’s decade-long litigation campaign is online here.

GUIDELINES:

New FIGO guidelines on “Safe Motherhood” published by the FIGO Committee for the Ethical Aspects of Human Reproduction and Women’s Health in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 120.3 (March 2013): 312-313, mention: “Where abortion is not against the law, every woman should have the right, after appropriate counseling, to have access to medication or surgical abortion. The healthcare service has an obligation to provide such services as safely as possible. Proper medical and humane treatment should be made available to women who have undergone an unsafe abortion.”

For other FIGO Ethical Guidelines on abortion, contraception and related subjects, in English French and Spanish, click here. 

 COURSES

[Argentina] Diplomatura en Salud y Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos (SDSR). Gestión Integral de Políticas, Programas y Servicios, Inicia 18 de abril de 2013, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Spanish course information online.

[US] The Global School on Judicial Enforcement of ESC Rights Course on Health Rights Litigation – one-week intensive course, Sept. 16-20, 2013 at Harvard University in Boston, MA, includes reproductive and sexual health;  designed for PhD students, scholars, practitioners (e.g., law, public health, human rights or development), policy-makers and advanced master’s students. The number of participants is restricted, and applications are due to rcantor{at}hsph.harvard.edu  by June 1, 2013.  For application and more course details,
see Current Projects, Item 3(A), here.  

RESOURCES

[abortion: Barbados] “Capturing the Moment: The Barbados Experience of Abortion Law Reform – An Interview with Dame Billie Miller,” by Dame Billie Miller and Nicole Parris in Social and Economic Studies 61.3(Sept 2012) Special Issue on Women’s Reproductive Health and Rights in Select Caribbean Countries (Guest Editors: Taitu Heron and Shakira Maxwell): Article online.

[abortion: Germany and Canada]“ The German Abortion Decisions and the Protective Function in German and Canadian Constitutional Law by Vanessa MacDonnell and Jula Hughes, forthcoming in Osgoode Hall Law Journal (Summer 2013): Text available online.

[abortion: Guyana]  “Legal but Inaccessible: Abortion in Guyana.” by Fred Nunes in Social and Economic Studies 61.3(Sept 2012) Special Issue on Women’s Reproductive Health and Rights in Select Caribbean Countries (Guest Editors: Taitu Heron and Shakira Maxwell):  
Article online.

[abortion, Jamaica]  “Fighting a Losing Battle? Defending Women’s Reproductive Rights in Twenty-First Century Jamaica.” by Shakira Maxwell in Social and Economic Studies 61.3(Sept 2012) Special Issue on Women’s Reproductive Health and Rights in Select Caribbean Countries (Guest Editors: Taitu Heron and Shakira Maxwell):  
Article online.

“Religion, Culture and Tradition: Strengthening Efforts to Eradicate Violence against Women,” by Shareen Gokal and Sandra Dughman Manzur, AWID briefing document for CSW57, contains useful links and summaries of relevant international human rights instruments and discussion of religious justifications for human rights violations. Download from AWID.

[emergency contraception] UN 57th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women agrees to end violence against women and girls, including and the agreed language explicitly calls for accessible and affordable health care services, including emergency contraception, for victims of violence:  Agreed conclusions online.  

[Farsi / Persian resource for Iranian women] 1500-word excerpt from Rebecca Cook’s “State Responsibility for Violations of Women’s Rights,” (1994) has been translated and published in an online open-access journal, Law, Culture and Gender, issue 11, (2013) by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting:   
1500-word excerpt in Farsi (Persian).

“Human Rights and Accountability,” PMNCH Knowledge Summary #23, Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, 2013:
4-page overview with references.

Jurisprudence on Health and Reproductive Rights, summarized by Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL)
 in English and  in Spanish

Jurisprudence summaries on gender violence, equality and discrimination, rights of children and adolescents, also by CEJIL:
in English     and in Spanish  

 Other CEJIL Publications, including summaries of Norms in the Inter-American Human Rights System:   in English;   in Spanish

“Religion, Culture and Tradition: Strengthening Efforts to Eradicate Violence against Women,” by Shareen Gokal and Sandra Dughman Manzur, AWID briefing document for CSW57, contains useful links and summaries of relevant international human rights instruments and discussion of religious justifications for human rights violations. Download from AWID.

Reprohealthlaw – Legal commentaries on past decisions and developments are online here.

NEWS:

France’s Free Abortion Law Takes Effect.  Huffington Post article.

[abortion] Indonesia and Pakistan have new hotlines for info about safe medical abortion     ASAP blog post
More info re Pakistan hotline.

Northern Irish women risk jail for using abortion pills.  news report.

Philippines Supreme Court stops implementation of Reproductive Health Law for 120 days. news report.

Philippines needs resolute political support on reproductive health. editorial by Melissa Upreti.

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

JOBS

Legal Assistant for Europe and Global Advocacy Programs, Center for Reproductive Rights, NY USA, apply by April 18, 2013.  Job details.

Program Associate, Global Legal Program, Center for Reproductive Rights.  Apply by April 13, 2013. Job details.

Links to other 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.
Our Annual Report for 2012 is now online through our homepage.