Abortion Rights & Health Effects: Global Perspectives

A full day seminar and workshop

Public Seminar: Abortion Lawfare, Global perspectives

In August 2017, Chile lifted the blanket ban which criminalized abortion without exception. The new law allows abortion in cases of rape, where the mother’s life is at risk, or where the foetus is unviable. While still restrictive, this was a huge political shift and some of the main activists behind the reform will share their experiences. 

Abortion is among the most contentious issues in Latin American politics - and worldwide. Some countries are moving towards more restrictive laws, while others are liberalizing. In Europe, questions related to abortion spark popular mobilization in many countries. In Ireland “Repeal”-activists have gained force and there will be a referendum next summer on whether to change the country’s highly restrictive abortion laws. In Poland, a controversial 2016 proposal from the ruling party to impose a total ban on abortions, collapsed following mass protests.

In every case, there are important domestic causes for the legalized abortion struggles, but international actors and networks are also salient drivers. The same is true in other regions: In Africa, both abortion law and abortion policies vary greatly, with some countries liberalizing their policies, sometimes without major legal changes. In other cases, such as in Zambia, the law in principle provides for legal abortion, but on terms that in practice make it near impossible.

This seminar & workshop will bring together researchers working on abortion-related issues different regions, and with different disciplinary perspective – law, political science, medicine, anthropology, psychology – to exchange insights on both the social and political dynamics of abortion laws, and on the health (and other) effects of different abortion regimes. 

Program:

08:30 Breakfast Seminar Abortion Battles: Chile, Ireland & Poland

10:15 Abortion lawfare in Europe and the Americas: Regional dynamics and transnational actors.

12:30 Screening of “Choices & Consequences: An edutainment drama", (Thera Mjaaland).

13:15 Abortion rights in Africa: law – policy – practice

15:00 Abortion rights in India

Panelists: Lidia Casas, Veronica Undurraga, Atina Krajewska, Ruth Fletcher, Alicia Yamin, Paola Bergallo, Camila Gianella, Maya Unnithan, & Neil Datta, Astrid Blystad, Karen Maria Moland, Satang Nabaneh, Giulia Zanini, Carmeliza Rosario, Liv Tønnessen, Siri Gloppen, Berit Austveg.

More details about the program here; https://www.lawtransform.no/event/abortion-rights-health-effects-global-perspectives-seminar-workshop/

February 2nd: Methodological approaches to studying health effects of abortion law.

This workshop is a forum in which to present ongoing work studying dynamics of abortion struggles and effects of abortion law and reproductive rights. The workshop is open to participation - with or without paper presentation – by prior agreement (Contact siri.gloppen@uib.no)

The Seminar & Workshop is open and free of cost for everyone.