August 27, 2008-- Today in an 8 to 3 groundbreaking vote, Mexico's Supreme Court upheld Mexico City's law making abortion legal in the first trimester, ruling that the Mexico City assembly had the power to legislate over the issue of abortion and recognizing women's autonomy over reproductive decisions.

Click here to learn more and read the Center's statement on the vote > >

Proposed HHS Regulations Create Confusion Around Women's Access to Reproductive Healthcare Information

August 21, 2008-- Today, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed new regulations which would limit women's ability to get complete reproductive healthcare services. While the rules are not identical to the draft proposal being circulated by HHS last month, the agency continues to create confusion around the definition of abortion and interprets existing conscientious objection laws so broadly that it could result in women not receiving information they need to make informed healthcare decisions.

Click here to read the Center's response to the proposed regulations > >
Click here to read the proposed regulations > >
Click here to listen to Nancy Northup on CNN > >
Click here to join in the fight yourself > >

Case Challenging Manila Contraception Ban Dismissed

August 15, 2008--The Philippines Court of Appeals recently dismissed a constitutional challenge to an eight-year-old ban on the distribution and use of modern contraceptives in the city of Manila. The ideologically driven policy has wreaked havoc with the lives of poor women and their families. The court's refusal to consider the legal claims made in this case raises serious doubts about the independence of the judiciary and the ability of women to obtain justice in the Philippines.

Click here to read more > >
Click here to read the Center’s press release about the case > >
Click here to read Imposing Misery: The Impact of Manila's Contraception Ban on Women and Families> >

Annual Report 2007

August 5, 2008-- Last year, the Center continued to work worldwide to secure recognition of reproductive rights as human rights. We won cases that affirmed the right to safe abortion. We challenged laws and policies that blocked women's access to contraception and life-saving emergency obstetric care. We forged powerful new partnerships. And we crafted a long-term strategy that marries litigation with human rights advocacy and education. All of these accomplishments are steps toward a universal guarantee of women's basic rights to health, autonomy, and dignity.

Learn more about the Center's accomplishments by downloading our 2007 annual report > >

The Center Spotlights Reproductive Rights at AIDS Gathering

August 1, 2008-- Human rights, including reproductive rights, must be at the center of the fight against HIV/AIDS. The Center will be taking that message to the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City on August 1 – 8. The conference is the world's largest HIV/AIDS forum and will address the trends and challenges surrounding HIV/AIDS. The Center is organizing a number of events at the conference to raise awareness of the intersections between HIV/AIDS and reproductive rights.

Click here to learn more about the Center's work at the International AIDS Conference > >
Click here to learn more about the XVII International AIDS Conference > >

No Relief for HIV-Positive Women in Kenya

July 31, 2008-- Women living with HIV in Kenya who seek medical care suffer multiple human rights violations and encounter daunting barriers to quality healthcare. At Risk: Rights Violations of HIV-Positive Women in Kenyan Health Facilities, a new report from the Federation of Women Lawyers—Kenya and the Center for Reproductive Rights, vividly illustrates the failure of the Kenyan government to care for women living with HIV.

Click here to learn more > >
Click here to read the report online > >

Calling on All Policy-makers to Take Bold Action in Support of Women's Reproductive Health

July 23, 2008-- The Center for Reproductive Rights is calling on all policy-makers to demonstrate their commitment to women's health and self-determination. Our Center's Federal Policy Agenda on reproductive rights sets forth concrete and attainable goals to that end, including supporting comprehensive sex education; increasing access to high quality healthcare for all pregnant women; and protecting women's right to get an abortion.

Click here to learn more and read the Center's Federal Policy Agenda > >

Defending Abortion Providers as Human Rights Defenders

July 23, 2008-- Every day, abortion providers in the United States put their lives on the line to defend women's human rights. The target of relentless threats and assaults, these courageous individuals ensure that women are able to exercise their human rights to reproductive health and autonomy and their constitutional right to abortion. Earlier this month, the Center filed a communication with the United Nations Special Representative for Human Rights Defenders on behalf of medical professionals providing abortions in the U.S. The communication charges that the U.S. has failed to take necessary steps for physicians who provide abortions to live and work free from violence, intimidation, and harassment like other medical professionals. It calls on the Special Representative to investigate the full range of violations that abortion providers experience.

Click here to read the Center's communication > >

Check it Out and Comment: Broken Promises on Maternal Deaths in Nigeria

July 21, 2008-- This month, the Center released a new report on maternal mortality in Nigeria -- why more women in the country die during childbirth than anywhere else in the world except India and what the government can do about it. Co-author Onyema Afulukwe was interviewed by The Guardian Weekly about the report.

Check out The Guardian Weekly interview. Join in the discussion and write a comment > >
Click here to read the report online > >
Click here to read our press release > >

Center for Reproductive Rights Statement on Conclusion of Grand Jury Investigation of Dr. George Tiller

July 9, 2008-- On Thursday, July 3, a citizen-convened grand jury refused to indict Kansas abortion provider Dr. George Tiller. The Center is pleased that the grand jury investigation has finally come to a close. The conclusion comes as a great relief to Dr. Tiller's patients as it ends the threat to patient privacy and future requests for confidential medical records and vindicates Dr. Tiller.

Click here to read the full press release > >

Every Woman Has the Right to Survive Pregnancy

June 18, 2008-- On June 12, New York Times' columnist Nicholas Kristof called on presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama to launch a major intitiative to combat maternal mortality around the world to demonstrate that the issue of gender is, in fact, on his radar. What Kristof neglected to mention was: the dramatically high maternal mortality rate here in the U.S. The Times published a letter to the editor from Center president Nancy Northup making the point. Check it out.

Click here to read Nancy Northup's letter > >
Click here to read Kristof's column > >

Center Claims Victory for Patient Privacy in Kansas

June 12, 2008-- Check out the New York Times' front page article on the anti-choice movement's 30-year effort to shut down Kansas provider Dr. George Tiller. Most recently, the Center claimed victory in a case involving Dr. Tiller's patients who unwittingly became a part of that ongoing saga.

Click here to read the New York Times article > >
Click here to learn more about the latest in the Tiller patient case > >

High Court in Colombia Refuses to Outlaw "Morning-After Pill"

June 13, 2008 -- Today, the Center for Reproductive Rights applauded a decision by Colombia's highest administrative court not to deny women legal access to emergency contraception. In a landmark decision, which was issued on June 5, the Council of State ruled against anti-choice groups' efforts to ban emergency contraception.