Transformative Shift in Reproductive Laws: A Tool for Significant Alteration
The European Parliament has taken a step towards recognising the right to abortion in the EU Fundamental Rights Charter, but achieving a "safe and legal abortion" requires unanimous agreement from all 27 member states. This move comes amidst a global discussion on reproductive rights, with disparities in their application observed worldwide.
The 2024 Symposium on Reproductive Rights, organised by Sciences Po's Gender Studies Programme and Law School, aims to shed light on this complex issue. The symposium will focus on comparative perspectives of reproductive rights and the role of law in protecting and advancing these rights.
The main goals and themes of the symposium include examining legal frameworks and policies across different countries, exploring how law shapes access to sexual and reproductive health services, analysing the impact of legal systems on gender justice, and highlighting the intersections between reproductive rights and other human rights concerns.
The symposium will also discuss the challenges posed by restrictive laws and litigation in various jurisdictions, and strategies for legal advocacy and reform from a global and comparative perspective.
Notably, the symposium will feature panellists from universities in France, Italy, Argentina, Austria, Colombia, and Poland, providing a comparative perspective in law. American Professor Reva Siegel will observe that legal restrictions on abortion have reflected and entrenched customary, gender-differentiated norms concerning sexual expression and parenting.
Marie Mercat-Bruns, a key figure in the symposium, explains that law can be an instrument for transformative change, but it also infringes on fundamental rights or masks unchanged realities for marginalized groups. She highlights that reproductive rights are crucial for understanding gender equality, privacy, and control over one's body.
In response to the U.S. decision, France has introduced an amendment to its Constitution acknowledging that legislation determines the conditions in which women are free to terminate their pregnancy. This move underscores the ongoing importance of discussions surrounding reproductive rights and the role of law in protecting and advancing these rights.
The 2024 Symposium on Reproductive Rights promises to be a significant event in the ongoing conversation about reproductive rights, offering a multidisciplinary and comparative inquiry into the role of law as both a tool of oppression and emancipation in this critical area.
The 2024 Symposium on Reproductive Rights, delving into science, health-and-wellness, and women's health, intends to’ examine the impact of legal systems on gender justice, particularly focusing on sexual and reproductive health services. In her observation at the symposium, American Professor Reva Siegel will analyses how legal restrictions on abortion reflect and entrench gender-differentiated norms, a critical aspect of women's health and reproductive rights.
