REPROHEALTHLAW Updates – 2023-24

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DEVELOPMENTS

[Argentina, preventable maternal death,”obstetric violence”] Britez Arce et. al. v. Argentina. (Inter-American Court of Human Rights, November 16, 2022). Decision in English. Decision in Spanish. Press Release Jan 18, 2023. Comment by CRR. [Earlier: Merits report by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (Report 236/19, Case 13.002. Report in English-download.)

[Bolivia, rape of a minor, revictimization] Losado v Bolivia (Inter-American Court of Human Rights, November 18, 2022) English press release Jan 19, 2023 Summary in Spanish. Decision in Spanish. The Court held Bolivia responsible for gender and child discrimination, and revictimization of an adolescent victim of sexual violence during the judicial process.

[Colombia, abortion decriminalized] Sentencia C-055-22.  Expediente D-13.956. Demanda de inconstitucionalidad contra el artículo 122 de la Ley 599 del 2000. (Constitutional Court of Colombia, February 21, 2022). Decision in Spanish (414 pages).  Backup decision in Spanish.  Unofficial English translation. 27-page Spanish press release.  English summary of Press Release.  1-page Spanish press release. [Abortion is decriminalized within 24 weeks of gestation, and thereafter permitted on specified grounds.] 

[El Salvador, abortion, anencephaly] Beatriz v. El Salvador, Case 13-378, Report No. 09/20, Inter-Am. C.H.R. (2020) (Inter-American Commission of Human Rights, January 5, 2022): Report in Spanish. Case Summary in Spanish.  Press release in English. [Woman with lupus and kidney failure denied abortion for fetus with anencephaly.] Inter-American Court of Human Rights held hearings in March 2023.

France made abortion a fundamental constitutional right. March 4, 2024. Parliamentarians voted to revise the country’s 1958 constitution to enshrine women’s “guaranteed freedom” to abort. News report in English.

[Mexico, Abortion decriminalized], Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación [Supreme Court], 2023..Review of Constitutional Protection. Amparo en revisión 267/2023. Sept. 6, 2023. Speaker: Justice Ana Margarita Ríos Farjat. Decided September 6, 2023. Official Press release in Spanish.   [Abortion is decriminalized throughout Mexico.]

[Northern Ireland, UN CEDAW] Report of the Inquiry concerning the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland under article 8 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, (2018) U.N. Doc. CEDAW/C/OP.8/GBR/1  Original CEDAW 2018 report.  Comments by Clare Pierson. [abortion, a crime in Northern Ireland following sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against Persons Act 1861, was legalized in 2020.]
—Follow-up report submitted by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 16 January 2023, published March 14, 2023 as CEDAW/C/OP.*/GBR/3/Add.1.  Followup report in different formats, English, French and Spanish.  [Among other reforms, Northern Ireland established a Gender Equality Strategy Expert Advisory Panel whose Report of December 2020 is online here]. 

[Peru, UN Committee on the Rights of the Child] Camila v. Peru, Communication No. 136/2021.U.N. Doc CRC/C/93/D/136/2021 (June 13, 2023) Decision online in Spanish, Arabic and Russian.  Decision in English (May 25, 2023, *unofficial draft). Case note by Godfrey Kangaude.  [Child raped by her father. Ruling: Peru violated child rape victim’s rights by failing to guarantee access to abortion and criminally prosecuting her for self-abortion.]

[Peru, child marriage] Ley N.º 31945 to prohibit and eliminate any possibility of marriage with minors under the age of 18 was promulgated on 25 November 2023. Prior to the new legislation, Article 42 of Peru’s Civil Code permitted adolescents to marry from the age of 14 under certain conditions, with consent from at least one parent, despite the minimum legal age of marriage being 18 years for girls and boys. Context in English.

[Poland, ECtHR ruled against fetal abnormality abortion ban] M.L. v. POLAND (Application no. 40119/21) (European Court of Human Rights, December 14, 2023) [Woman forced to travel for abortion of malformed fetus. Court found violation of ECHR Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life) of the ECHR, following a 2020 Constitutional Court ban on legal abortion in case of foetal abnormalities. Press release. Decision of 14 Dec 2023.

[Poland, fetal abnormality risk, inadmissible] A.M. and others v. Poland (application no. 4188/21, 4957/21, 5014/21,5523/21, 5876/21, 6114/21, 6217/21, 8857/21) (European Court of Human Rights, May 16, 2023) ruled these 8 cases inadmissible because each applicant could not claim to be a victim of a violation of the ECHR owing to risk of a future violation. Press Release. Decision of 16 May 2023.

[Spain, access to abortion information] Tribunal Supremo de España, Sala Tercera, de lo Contencioso-administrativo, Sección 4ª, S 1231/2022, 3 Oct. 2022 (Rec. 6147/2021)  Decision in Spanish.  Spanish backup copy.  Decision in English.  English backup copy. [The Government cannot block public access to a website containing information or opinions without judicial authorization.  This includes the site of Women on Web, which discusses access to abortion.

[Turkey, abortion for rape victim], [Case of] R.G. [GK], B. No: 2017/31619, 23/7/2020,.July 23, 2020. (Grand Chamber of the Turkish Constitutional Court)   27-page decision in Turkish. Backup copy. Official press release in English. Backup copy.  Comment  in English on IACL/AIDC Blog. Article in English from a Turkish Journal of Constitutional Law  [procrastination after rape victim applied for abortion violated the right to protect one’s corporeal and spiritual existence (provided under Article 17 of Turkish Constitution.

[UK – challenge to fetal abnormality ground for abortion] R (on the Application of Crowter and Ors) v Secretary of State for Health and Social Care EWCA Civ 1559 Case No: CA-2021-000314 (UK Court of Appeal (Civil Division) London, 25 Nov., 2022, Judgment summary. Decision online.  [UK legislation allowing abortion for substantial risk of a born child’s serious handicap (such as Down syndrome) is not incompatible with disabled persons’ human rights to respect for their private and family life and to nondiscrimination.] This was an appeal of [2021] EWHC 2536 (Admin) Case No. CO/2066/2020 (High Court of Justice, Queen’s Bench Division, London) Sept 23, 2021.  Judgment and summary.    [fetus has no established rights under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), so UK abortion law allowing legal abortions in cases of severe fetal abnormalities is compatible with ECHR.]

[Venezuela, obstetric violence] Inter-American Court of Human Rights – Case of Rodríguez Pacheco et al. v. Venezuela. Preliminary Objections, Merits, Reparations and Costs. Judgment of September 1, 2023. Series C No. 504. Press release in English. Official Summary in Spanish. 82-page judgment in Spanish. Download partial dissent by Judge Sierra Porto. Download: partial dissent by Judge Pérez Goldberg. The Court ruled that Venezuela is responsible for deficiencies in Judicial Proceedings on a Complaint of acts of obstetric violence and medical malpractice that took place in a private hospital.

SCHOLARSHIP

[comparative abortion law] Rebecca J. Cook and Bernard M. Dickens, “Abortion,” in Jan M. Smits, Jaakko Husa, Catherine Valcke and Madalena Narciso, eds., Elgar Encyclopedia of Comparative Law, 3rd ed., (Cheltenham, UK: Elgar Publishing, 2023), 3-11. Abstract online here. Full text and PDF online

[abortion law, Colombia] “The new Colombian law on abortion,” by Isabel C Jaramillo Sierra, International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 160.1 (January 2023): 345-350.  Abstract and Article. 

[abortion law and policy] “Self managed abortion: aligning law and policy with medical evidence,” by Patty Skuster, Heidi Moseson and Jamila Perritt, in International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 160.2 (February 2023): 720-725. Abstract and Article.  

[abortion law and policy, guideline] “The WHO Abortion Care Guideline: Law and Policy–Past, Present and Future,” by Joanna N. Erdman, in International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 162.3 (Sept 2023): 1119–1124. Abstract and Article.  WHO Abortion Care guideline, 2022.

[adolescents, Africa] “Integrating child rights standards in contraceptive and abortion care for minors in Africa,” by Godfrey Dalitso Kangaude, Catriona Macleod, Ernestina Coast and Tamara Fetters, International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics 159.3 (December 2022): 998-1004.   Abstract and Article.

[Africa, Zimbabwe, rewrite abortion decision, gender equality] Charles Ngwena and Rebecca J. Cook, “Restoring Mai Mapingure’s Equal Citizenship,” In: Rebecca J. Cook, ed., Frontiers of Gender Equality: Transnational Legal Perspectives (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2023). Abstract online.  Book available here. Introduction to the book (by Rebecca Cook).

[gender equality, health, CEDAW GR 24] “Gender Equality in Health Care: Reenvisioning CEDAW General Recommendation 24,” by Joanna N. Erdman and Mariana Prandini Assis, in Frontiers of Gender Equality: Transnational Legal Perspectives, ed. Rebecca J. Cook (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2023). Abstract online in English. Portuguese translation of this chapter. Book available here. Introduction to the book (by Rebecca Cook).

[gender equality] Rebecca J. Cook, “Many Paths to Gender Equality,” Introduction to: Frontiers of Gender Equality: Transnational Legal Perspectives (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2023). Introduction online.

[infertility] “”Human Rights Approaches to Reducing Infertility,” by Payal K. Shah and Jaime M. Gher, in International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics.162.1 (July 2023): 368–374.  Abstract and Article. 

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.

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

Inter-American Repro Rights Reparations – thesis by Ciara O’Connell

Congratulations to Dr. Ciara O’Connell, now a Research Fellow at the Law School of Trinity College Dublin, whose 2017 doctoral thesis from the University of Sussex is now freely accessible online. We are pleased to circulate her abstract, into which we have inserted {in curly brackets} her introductions to the three Inter-American cases she analyzed.

Ciara O’Connell, “Women’s Reproductive Rights: Repairing Gender-Based harm in the Inter-American System of Human Rights,” PhD diss., University of Sussex, U.K., School of Law, Politics and Sociology, March 2017. Doctoral thesis online.

This thesis examines women’s reproductive rights litigation before the Inter-American System of Human Rights and determines how the Inter-American System can more effectively take account of, and repair, harms specific to women in reproductive rights cases. It builds upon a growing body of literature on women’s rights in the Inter-American System, and employs feminist socio-legal methodologies to identify the structural obstacles which cause violations of women’s reproductive rights, and to challenge the gap between gender-based rhetoric and reparation in women’s reproductive rights cases. The thesis centres around three specific cases. These cases are critically examined using the Holistic Gender Approach to Reparations developed by Ruth Rubio-Marín and Clara Sandoval. In applying this Approach to the case studies, it is possible to determine how, to what extent and to what effect, each reproductive rights case incorporates gendered harm in its reparation design.

{The cases selected for this research project are emblematic in nature, and represent violations of women’s reproductive rights on a massive scale. The first case study examines María Mamerita Mestanza Chávez v. Peru, which was a Friendly Settlement Agreement. This case remains open before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and was selected because it addressed the coercive sterilization of thousands of Peruvian women, and because the Agreement included an analysis, albeit limited, of socio-cultural discrimination as a cause of women’s reproductive rights violations.
The second case, Paulina del Carmen Jacinto Ramírez v. Mexico, was also a Friendly Settlement Agreement, but in this case the State and the victim reached an agreement before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights formally admitted the case. The case was an abortion rights case that highlights the restrictions women and girls face when attempting to access their legal rights to abortion services. The Inter-American Commission closed this case, despite the fact that the State of Mexico failed to comply with all of the measures of the Friendly Settlement Agreement. The analysis conducted of each of these Agreements highlights the potential of the Friendly Settlement Agreement mechanism to transform the reproductive lives of women through gender-based reparations.
The final case, Artavia Murillo et al. v. Costa Rica, was selected for analysis because it is, at this point, the Inter-American System’s only binding reproductive rights judgment, and as such, it is the first glimpse into the Inter-American Court’s approach to repairing gender-based
harm in a reproductive rights case. This case examined the right to in vitro fertilization for heterosexual married couples in Costa Rica, and is especially significant because the Inter-American Court expanded the definition of reproductive health, and included an analysis of the disproportionate impact of gender stereotyping on the lives of women.}
(pp. 8-9)

This research utilizes doctrinal and empirical research methods to draw conclusions about how the Inter-American System and members of civil society such as women’s rights organizations and litigators can expand upon and improve the Inter-American System’s approach to repairing and eliminating violations of women’s reproductive rights. Through information gathered from interviews with actors familiar with the case studies and the Inter-American System, this thesis determines a number of strategies to improve the transformative potential of reparations issued by the Inter-American Commission and Court. These strategies, when combined with the Holistic Gender Approach to Reparations, establish the foundation on which to develop a “gender reparations tradition” within reproductive rights litigation before the Inter-American System of Human Rights.

The entire thesis (272 pages, PDF) can be downloaded here: Doctoral thesis.

Related Resources:

Ruth Rubio-Marín and Clara Sandoval, “Engendering the Reparations Jurisprudence of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights: The Promise of the ‘Cotton Field’ Judgment” (2011) 33:4 Human Rights Quarterly 1062-1091. English PDF.

“Human Rights to In Vitro Fertilization” by Fernando Zegers-Hochschild, Bernard M. Dickens and Sandra Dughman-Manzur, International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 123 (2013) 86–89. English PDF. Texto y PDF en Español

Gender Stereotyping: Transnational Legal Perspectives, by Rebecca J. Cook and Simone Cusack (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010). About the book. Spanish edition (311 pages) PDF

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

Peru: Rights-based Governance of Reproductive Health Services

Congratulations to Jeannie Samuel, Ph.D., who recently defended her doctoral thesis at the University of Toronto, Canada.

Struggling With the State: Rights-Based Governance of Reproductive Health Services in Puno, Peru by Jeannie Samuel, Ph.D. dissertation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Canada, 2015.

This dissertation explores the complex process of how socially excluded women carry out rights-based governance in state-operated health facilities. It addresses a central tension: how can marginalized actors exercise a governance influence over institutions that have systemically excluded them? The study examines the efforts of a group of Quechua-speaking indigenous women in the southern Peruvian Andes who act as citizen monitors of their reproductive health services. In a country where profound inequalities are embedded in the health care system, the monitors (aided by a network of strategic allies) seek to combat abuse and strengthen health service provision. Key to their governance strategy is the use of a human rights-based approach to health, intended to influence monitors’ power by repositioning them as rights holders.

Theoretically, the dissertation draws on feminist political economy to examine the emergence of reproductive health care as a site of struggle between civil society and the state in Puno, Peru since the 1990s. It examines the monitoring initiative in Puno as an example of ongoing struggles with the state for the provision of quality reproductive health care. Methodologically, it uses institutional ethnography to link the work of citizen monitors with broader social, political and economic forces that shape their governance efforts.

The study’s findings suggest that human rights-based approaches can help monitors to exercise power in governance struggles. Citizen monitoring in Puno has produced some important gains, including curbing everyday injustices such as discriminatory treatment and illegal fees in health facilities. Monitors have been less effective at influencing other types of systemic problems, such as understaffing. The initiative has created opportunities for hands-on learning and the creation of new kinds of alliances. More broadly, the study suggests that rights-based governance can contribute to the democratization of reproductive health service delivery and the promotion of inclusive citizenship.

———————-

Abstracts of theses by Graduates of our International Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Program are online here.

 

 

 

REPROHEALTHLAW Updates

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DEVELOPMENTS

GENDER JUSTICE UNCOVERED AWARDS – Vote on the Best and Worst judgments of 2015, gathered by Women’s Link Worldwide.  Decisions are attached!  Vote by May 30, 2016.  To review this year’s nominees, click on “Cases”.

PERU: re the historic case of  K.L. v. Peru: As a teenager in 2001, K.L.was denied abortion of an anencephalic fetus who died soon after birth. The UN CEDAW Committee stated that her human rights had been violated.   In 2016, she has received financial compensation.   News report.

RWANDA – access to legal abortion for raped 13-year-old denied by first court, then allowed on appeal.    Judgment of October 30 2015, official English translation, redacted to preserve privacy. Rwandan juvenile abortion decision.

UGANDA – Preventable Maternal Deaths – 3 decisions Overview on Reprohealthlaw Blog.

Center for Health Human Rights and Development (CEHURD) and 3 Others v Attorney General [2012], Constitutional Petition No. 16 of 2011 (Constitutional Court of Uganda at Kampala). Preventable maternal deaths were dismissed as a “political” matter.  Decision online.  Case Summary and Analysis by Nthabiseng Lelisa and Godfrey Kangaude.

Center for Health, Human Rights and Development & 3 Others  v Attorney General.  [2015], Constitutional Appeal No. 01 of 2013 (Supreme Court of Uganda at Kampala) [Uganda Supreme Court orders Constitutional Court to hear a petition on maternal health rights violations.]  Decision online.  Case summary and analysis by Godfrey Kangaude. 

Center for Health, Human Rights and Development & 4 Others  v Nakaseke District Local Administration [2015], Civil Suit No. 111 of 2012 (High Court of Uganda at Kampala). [Ugandan High Court finds human rights violations where a pregnant woman died of a ruptured uterus and blood loss while in labour.] Decision online. Case summary and Analysis by Godfrey Kangaude 

EDUCATIONAL FUNDING

Comparative Program on Health and Society at the University of Toronto, Canada, invites applications for 2016-2017.  Complete applications due May 30, 2016.    Doctoral fellowships on “Health and human rights” and “Social determinants of health”: Doctoral fellowships.   Research Associate fellowship

O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC.   – Associate position for law graduates, to work on domestic and global health law and policy projects. Apply by May 31, 2016  Associate position for law graduates

RESOURCES

[abortion – anti-choice strategy, United Kingdom]”A guerrilla strategy for a pro-life England,” by Sheelagh Mcguinness, 7.2 Law, Innovation and Technology 283-314. [how anti-abortion “guerrilla” strategies undermine reproductive rights]  Abstract and article.

[abortion and police]  Practical Guide for Partnering with Police on Abortion. The guide is for trainers and advocates, by Ipas, 2016.  Ipas Guide.

[abortion, zika virus – Brazil]  “Threats of retrocession in sexual and reproductive health policies in Brazil during the Zika epidemic,” [Ameaças de retrocesso nas políticas de saúde
sexual e reprodutiva no Brasil em tempos de epidemia de Zika] by Beatriz Galli and Suely Deslandes,   32.4 (2016) Cad. Saúde Pública (Rio de Janeiro)  Epub 19-Abr-2016  Portuguese original.  English translation.

[abortion, zika] “Using a Human Rights Accountability Framework to Respond to Zika,” by Beatriz Galli.  Health and Human Rights Journal blog, May 2, 2016.  Blog online.

[Conscientious objection by hospitals – new report] “Health Care Denied: Patients and Physicians Speak Out about Catholic Hospitals and the Threat to Women’s Health and Lives,” American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU and Merger Watch, 2016)  40-page report.   Faith-based restrictions at 550 US hospitals go far beyond abortion: news article.

[Conscientious objection by hospitals prohibited] “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 abstract and article. Spanish translation.

[Conscientious objection] “The Right to Conscience,” by Bernard M. Dickens in Abortion Law in Transnational Perspective: Cases and Controversies, ed. Rebecca J. Cook, Joanna N. Erdman and Bernard M. Dickens (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2014), 210-238. Book in English.  Spanish translation.

Conscientious Objection: articles and projects related to the Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Programme of the University of Toronto  Updated List.

[forced treatment during pregnancy, e.g. caesarean births] New book: Autonomy and pregnancy: A comparative analysis of compelled obstetric intervention (2016), Samantha Halliday. Table of contents and excerpts at Googlebooks

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

JOBS

Program Manager, Women’s Health and Equality in Latin America, Wyss Foundation, Washington DC,  Apply by May 31, 2016.  Job details.

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

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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

REPROHEALTHLAW Blog
February 11, 2016

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LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS
African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Commission) adopted General Comment No. 3 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (General Comment No. 3 “The Right to Life”) in November 2015 in Banjul, The Gambia.  On the  AfricLAW blog,   Paul Ogendi mentions that the document “avoids controversial subjects like abortion, euthanasia and others, ”  but “. . . for the very first time in Africa stakeholders can rely on a truly African document developed by an African institution to enhance the protection of the right to life regionally and beyond.”

Democratic Party v. The Secretary General of the East African Community, Appeal No. 1 of 2014 (East African Court of Justice at Arusha, Appellate Division).  Decision online.  See:  “It’s official: The East African Court of Justice can now adjudicate human rights cases.”  by Ally Possi, LL.D. (Pretoria) on AfricLaw Blog.

Gambia:  Female circumcision banned 2 December 2015. National Assembly passed the Women’s (Amendment) Bill 2015  to prohibit female circumcision.  See: “Banning female circumcision in The Gambia through legislative change: The next steps,” by Satang Nabaneh, LL.M. (Pretoria), on AfricLaw Blog.

Peru agrees to compensate woman in KL v Peru (UN Human Rights Committee).  Hospital denied legal abortion to teen with anencephalic fetus due to unclear laws.  OHCHR press release.  Background from CRR.

Portugal: Lawmakers overturn presidential veto on gay rights, abortion law.  “…changes will waive mandatory counselling and medical payments for women seeking an abortion through the public health service.”  News from Portugal.

Sweden: District court rules midwife must perform abortions. News article.

CALLS
Reproductive Health Matters, Call for submissions on “Sexuality, sexual and reproductive health in later life” for November issue.   Submission system opens March 15, 2016.  Call for Papers

Feminist Legal Studies.  Submission process for prospective new authors.  Editorial by Ruth Fletcher.

“Abortion and Reproductive Justice- The Unfinished Revolution II”  International Conference, 2-3 June 2016, Ulster University, Belfast, Northern Ireland   Early birds – register now.  Draft programme.   Programme with Abstracts for each panel

PUBLICATIONS:

[abortion, Africa] Taking Women’s Rights Seriously: Using Human Rights to Require State Implementation of Domestic Abortion Laws in African Countries with Reference to Uganda, by Charles G Ngwena, Journal of African Law 60.1 (Feb 2016): 110-140.  Abstract and article.

[abortion, England]  “Risks, Reasons and Rights:  The European Convention on Human Rights and English Abortion Law,”  by Rosamund Scott, Medical Law Review 24 (2016): 1-33.   Open access online.

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. Table of Cases online  Table of Contents with chapter abstracts.  Purchase from U Penn Press.  Now in Spanish: ¡Ahora en español!   E-chapters now accessible in institutional libraries through Project Muse and JSTOR.

[conscience] “Conscience Wars in Transnational Perspective: Religious Liberty, Third-Party Harm, and Pluralism” by Douglas NeJaime and Reva Siegel.  In:  The Conscience Wars: Rethinking the Balance between Religion, Identity, and Equality, ed. Susanna Mancini & Michel Rosenfeld (Cambridge Univ. Press 2017 Forthcoming).  Chapter online.

[conscientious objection] “Tasmania’s Reproductive Health (Access to Terminations) Act 2013: An analysis of conscientious objection to abortion and the ‘obligation to refer,’”  by Ronli Sifris,  Journal of Law and Medicine 22(2015): 900-914    Article online.

[conscientious objection]  “Recommended Reading” on Conscientious Objection has recently been added to our Conscientious Objection topic pages.

[HIV] “Advancing the sexual and reproductive health and human rights of women living with HIV: a review of UN, regional and national human rights norms and standards” by Rajat Khosla, Nuna Van Belle, Marleen Temmerman, online here,  in “Sexual and reproductive health and human rights of women living with HIV,” special issue of  Journal of the International AIDS Society 18 Supplement 5 (2015).  Special issue contents.

NEWS
[abortion, Africa]  The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights launches campaign to decriminalize abortion. Ipas announcement

[abortion, Brazil]  Surge of Zika Virus Has Brazilians Re-examining Strict Abortion Laws  New York Times article.   WHO statement.   Interview with Prof. Debora Diniz:  Huffington Post article.  Women on Web offers free medical abortions online here.

[abortion, including Ireland ] Dr. Ruth Fletcher discusses access to abortion in Ireland, law’s “reproductivity,” and feminist knowledge production.   Interview transcript.

[abortion, Ireland]  Parliamentary assembly considers abortion proposals for cases of rape or fetal abnormality.   Stormont abortion.

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

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
Vienna Master of Arts in Human Rights, University of Vienna, Austria.  Apply by March 29, 2016. MA Human Rights details

Master of Health Science (MHSc) in Bioethics program for September 2016.  Apply by March 1, 2016.  MHSc Bioethics details .

JOBS:
Gender Justice and Women’s Rights Director,  Oxfam, Oxford, UK, apply by Feb. 19, 2016.  Oxfam job details.

Latin American Communications Manager, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA)  Job details.

Program Officer Sexual Violence/Adolescent Girls’ Legal Defense Fund, Equality Now, Nairobi, Kenya – advice and legal research, litigation activities and administration of projects.  Equality Now job details

Sexual and Reproductive Rights Advocate Trainer, Amnesty USA,  Apply by Feb 12, 2016  Job details.

Senior Advisor III, Community Access, Ipas, Chapel Hill NC, USA.  Ipas 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.

REPROHEALTHLAW Updates: Decision, Resources, News, Opportunities and Jobs

REPROHEALTHLAW-L
September 24 2015

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COURT DECISION:

Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Espinoza Gonzáles vs. Perú.  November 20, 2014.  The State of Peru is held responsible for violations of rights to personal liberty, integrity, honour and dignity, judicial guarantees and legal protection, in connection with the illegal detention, torture, sexual violence, imprisonment, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and failure to investigate complaints from Gladys Espinoza between 1993 until 2012.  The Court ordered reparations and access to free and immediate treatment for Gladys Espinoza Gonzales, her mother and brother, and to all women victims of the widespread practice of rape and other forms of sexual violence during the Peruvian conflict.  Official summary in Spanish.  120-page decision in Spanish.   Press Release from CEJIL.  Followup interpretation by the Court, June 23, 2015.

CALL FOR PAPERS

The McGill Journal of Law and Health (MJLH), an academic, peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary journal, is currently seeking full-length articles and shorter comments for an upcoming issue. Submissions due October 15, 2015.  Guidelines online

LATIN AMERICAN LEGAL CONFERENCE

El IV Congreso Latinoamericano Jurídico sobre Derechos Reproductivos Lima, Peru, November 2-4, 2015   LatinAmerican Legal Congress.

SCHOLARSHIP

[abortion] “Safe and Legal Abortion: An Emerging Human Right? The Long-Lasting Dispute with State Sovereignty in ECHR Jurisprudence,” by Chiara Cosentino,  Human Rights Law Review (2015) 15 (3): 569-589. Abstract online.  Early access to full text.  Full access for institutional subscribers.

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. Table of Cases online  Table of Contents.  Purchase from U Penn Press.  A Spanish edition was published in August, 2016.  Ahora disponible en español.

[abortion – China]  Exploring ‘Glorious Motherhood’ in Chinese Abortion Law and Policy, by Weiwei Cao  Details and PDF.

[abortion and surrogate motherhood]  “Surrogate Motherhood and Abortion for Fetal Abnormality”  (Ruth Walker and Liezl van Zyl,  Bioethics 29.8 (Oct. 2015): 529-535.   Free abstract for all. Institutional access to full text.

[hymen restoration] Dorothy Shaw and Bernard M. Dickens, A new surgical technique for hymenoplasty: A solution, but for which problem?” International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 130 (2015) 1–2.  Abstract and article online.

“In Between Categories of Law- a Gender Variant Analysis of Anti-Discrimination Law and Litigation” Ido Katri, LL.M. dissertation  University of Toronto, 2015. Abstract online.

“Obstetric Violence in Argentina: a Study on the Legal Effects of Medical Guidelines and Statutory Obligations for Improving the Quality of Maternal Health” Carlos Alejandro Herrera Vacaflor, LL.M. dissertation, University of Toronto, 2015  Abstract online.

“Sexuality Education in Paraguay: Using Human Rights and International Policies to define adolescents’ right to sexuality education” María José Rivas Vera, LL.M. dissertation, University of Toronto, 2015. Abstract online.

NEWS:

Malaysia: Nepalese woman finally acquitted for abortion,  News report.

Northern Ireland abortion law mostly used to arrest violent men  News report

UK: Joint statement of NGOs on sex selection abortion, in response to attempts to criminalize it in the UK, Joint Statement

Uruguay:   Guarding Abortion Rights Advances   International Women’s Health Coalition report

Uruguay:   Conscientious Objection or Conscious Oppression?: The Uphill Battle to Access Abortion Services in Uruguay  Comment by Lucia Berro

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

JOBS

Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Bogota, Colombia,   The Center for Reproductive Rights.  Details online.

Senior Officer for Africa Engagement, Girls Not Brides, 16 September 2015 Deadline: 15 October 2015 Location: London or Dakar (Senegal) or Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) or Nairobi (Kenya) Organization:  – Apply by October 15, 2015: Details Online .

Assistant Professor, Women’s & Gender Studies, Keene State College, Keene, New Hampshire, USA – Apply by October 16, 2015.  Job details.

Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies Position (Tenure-Track) Middlebury College, Vermont, USA – Apply by November 2, 2015  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.

 

Abortion Law in Transnational Perspective: Cases and Controversies

 Edited by Rebecca J. Cook, Joanna N. Erdman, and Bernard M. Dickens, U Penn Press, 2014, 480 pages Hardcover or ebook.  Available at University of Pennsylvania Press   Spanish edition (FCE, 2016):   ¡en español!
___________________________________________________________________

Abortion Law in Transnational Perspective: Cases and Controversies offers a fresh look at significant transnational legal developments in recent years, examining key judicial decisions, constitutional texts, and regulatory reforms of abortion law in order to envision ways ahead.

Table of Contents

Introduction, Rebecca J. Cook, Joanna N. Erdman, and Bernard M. Dickens  Download or read,

Part I. Constitutional Values and Regulatory Regimes

The Constitutionalization of Abortion, Reva B. Siegel   Read abstract

Abortion in Portugal: New Trends in European Constitutionalism, Ruth Rubio-Marín Read abstract

Women’s Rights in the Abortion Decision of the Slovak Constitutional Court, Adriana Lamacková  Read abstract,

Proportionality in the Constitutional Review of Abortion Law, Verónica Undurraga Read abstract,

A Functionalist Approach to Comparative Abortion Law, Rachel Rebouché Read abstract,

Part II. Procedural Justice and Liberal Access

The Procedural Turn: Abortion at the European Court of Human Rights, Joanna N. Erdman  Read abstract,

The Struggle Against Informal Rules on Abortion in Argentina, Paola Bergallo  Read abstract,

Reforming African Abortion Laws and Practice: The Place of Transparency, Charles G. Ngwena  Read abstract,

Part III. Framing and Claiming Rights

The Medical Framework and Early Medical Abortion in the U.K.: How Can a State Control Swallowing? Sally Sheldon  Read abstract

The Right to Conscience, Bernard M. Dickens  Read abstract,

Catholic Constitutionalism on Sex, Women, and the Beginning of Life, Julieta Lemaitre  Read abstract,

Bringing Abortion into the Brazilian Public Debate: Legal Strategies for Anencephalic Pregnancy,   Luís Roberto Barroso    Read abstract

Toward Transformative Equality in Nepal: The Lakshmi Dhikta Decision,  Melissa Upreti  Read abstract

Part IV. Narratives and Social Meaning

Reckoning with Narratives of Innocent Suffering in Transnational Abortion Litigation, Lisa M. Kelly  Read abstract,

Narratives of Prenatal Personhood in Abortion Law, Alejandro Madrazo,  Read abstract,

Stigmatized Meanings of Criminal Abortion Law, Rebecca J. Cook, Read abstract, 

Table of Legislation.
Table of Cases. (online here, with links to decisions in English and/or other languages). _______________________________________________________________
Early reviews and full description from U Penn Press: online here.
Introduction by the editors (online through SSRN) includes an overview of the chapters.
Book reviewers should contact Gigi Lamm (glamm {a} pobox. upenn. edu)
Many thanks to the 16 authors of this exceptional anthology!

LC v. Peru: CEDAW’s first decision on abortion

Congratulations to Professor Charles Ngwena of the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, for his recently published article, cited and abstracted below:

Charles G Ngwena, A Commentary on LC v Peru: The CEDAW Committee’s First Decision on Abortion. Journal of African Law, 57.2 (Oct 2013): 310-324; © School of Oriental and African Studies, 2013. doi:10.1017/S0021855313000107, available online here.

In LC v Peru, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women held that Peru was in breach of its obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women when it denied a 13 year old girl emergency surgery as well as an abortion. This commentary discusses the human rights significance of LC v Peru, especially in relation to the advancement of abortion jurisprudence in the African region. It is submitted that LC v Peru makes an important contribution towards the development of abortion laws that are transparent and accountable to women, as well as responsive to equal protection under the law. The duty of states to operationalize LC v Peru in their domestic law is an innovative juridical resource for reforming abortion laws. This is particularly so in those regions, including the African region, where the continued criminalization of abortion serves as a significant incentive for unsafe, illegal abortion.

The full text of this article is online here for institutional subscribers.

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.

Court Decisions, Calls, Resources, News, Scholarships & Jobs

REPROHEALTHLAW-L
January 17, 2013

COURT DECISIONS

Assisted Reproduction in Costa Rica 
Inter-American Court of Human Rights:  Artavia Murillo y otros (Fecundación In Vitro) v. Costa Rica.   CDH-12.361/177.  Decision of Nov. 28, 2012.   Costa Rica’s ban on in vitro fertilization violates human rights of infertile couples.  Cost Rica must lift its ban on IVF, provide psychological support to complainants, and train judiciary employees on human and reproductive rights. 
Decision online in Spanish:  116 page judgment
Official Summary in Spanish:  14 page summary  
Decision online in English   132 page judgment
English summary by Center for Reproductive Rights:  press release
Costa Rica will comply with court’s decision.  article in Huffington Post

Freedom of religion –  rights and limits – in the United Kingdom
European Court of Human Rights:  Eweida and Others v. The United Kingdom.  (Applications nos. 48420/10, 59842/10, 51671/10 and 36516/10), January 15, 2013– All four cases involved freedom to express religion at work.  Court affirmed freedom  to express religion at work, within the limits of public health and safety, but not to withhold public services (e.g. from same-sex couples) on grounds of religion.   Religion cannot be used as grounds for discrimination. 
53-page decision    Court’s press release  
European Parliament’s Intergroup on LGBT Rights –  press release

CALLS:

Call for papers: “Creating new development paradigms to achieve sexual and reproductive health and rights: critical analysis and reflection,” for Reproductive Health Matters, 21.42 (Nov 2013). submit 1-31 May 2013.  Details and new submission instructions

Call for participation by NGOs/civil society organization to help UNFPA measure progress, gaps and outstanding issues re: implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action.  Please respond by Feb 12, 2013.    
15-20 minute UNFPA survey. 

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES & SCHOLARSHIPS

Call for applications:  “Women and International Human Rights Law,” summer course taught by Elizabeth Abi-Mershed and Rebecca Cook, in the Program of Advanced Studies on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Washington College of Law, American University, Washington D.C., May 28 – June 14, 2013.   10 courses in English and 9 in Spanish.  Applications will be reviewed until May 1, 2013. Details online.   

Call for applications,  CIHR Training Program / Fellowships in Health Law, Ethics and Policy for international and Canadian students enrolled in a full-time master’s or doctoral degree at one of four Canadian law schools:  University of Sherbrooke, University of Alberta, University of Toronto, and Dalhousie University.   Apply by:  March 15, 2013.   Brochure.   Admission & Application Process.

Call for applications:   Legal Fellowship Programme for lawyers & women’s HR defenders with paralegal training from Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Pakistan & Sri Lanka, sponsored by South Asia Women’s Fund (SAWF)  $4000 USD.   Apply by Jan. 31, 2013.   More information

Call for applications.  Global Health Law LL.M. Program  at Georgetown Law,  Online webinar:  Monday, January 28, 2013, 12 noon  to 1:00 PM EST.   Webinar Information.    Program Information.    Scholarships and Fellowships.    LL.M. Application deadlines. 

EVENT

[Canada – abortion law]  “R v Morgentaler: Reflections After 25 Years”   Tuesday, January 29, 2013 – 5:30-7:30 p.m., Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, Bennett Lecture Hall, Flavelle House, 78 Queen’s Park Crescent.   Speakers and details

RESOURCES

“Applying Human Rights to Improve Access to Reproductive Health Services,” by Dorothy Shaw and Rebecca Cook, 119 (2012). International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics S55–S59.
abstract & article online.

[conscientious objection] “Conscientious Objections in Pharmacy Practice in Great Britain,” by Zuzana Deans, Bioethics, 27.1 (Jan 2013):. 48-5.  abstract online.

[conscientious objection, conscience] “Not Only the Doctor’s Dilemma: The Complexity of Conscience in Medicine,” by Elizabeth Sepper, Faulkner Law Review, 2013. abstract & article online.

Reproductive Rights: A Tool for Monitoring State Obligations, published by The Center for Reproductive Rights and UNFPA.  More information
Tool – 31 pages.

Spanish publications by members of the International Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Program are online here.

NEWS

Chile – abortion info hotline on misoprostol use is in legal gray area.  NY Times article.

Ireland – government pledges to allow abortions in life-threatening cases, including suicide risk. (Dec 19, 2012) .   News Item. 

Ireland:  Parliamentary Committee held hearings Jan 8-10, 2013  to discuss government action to comply with the 2010 European Court of Human Rights judgment in A, B and C v. Ireland.    The Irish Human Rights Commission is holding a separate review on this topic, and the broader question of Ireland’s international human rights obligations in the area of abortion.  Human Rights Watch article.

Peru – 60,000 signatures are needed to petition Congress to consider bill to legalize abortion after rape.  High rape rate.  
Article by Françoise Girard (IWHC)

Philippines:   Reproductive Health Bill, 14 years in the making, passed and signed by President.  Act will become law January 17, 2013.
Act Providing for a National Policy on Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health.  Republic Act No. 10354,  S. No. 2865, H. No. 4244.  New law is online here.
Center for Reproductive Rights press release.

United Kingdom pledges to ensure abortion access for women raped in war.   News from Global Justice Center

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

JOBS

Litigation fellow, Open Society Foundations (Justice Initiative), Law degree required.  Apply by March 31, 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.   Past editions of this blog since Sept. 2011 are online here.