August 9, 2005

Dear Friend and Supporter,

Good news first: we are happy to report that on July 8, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit held unconstitutional the "Partial Birth Abortion Act of 2003." The lawsuit was brought by the Center on behalf of Nebraska physician Dr. LeRoy Carhart and three other physicians. "Four federal courts have now exposed this deceptive law for what it is-a dangerous ban that not only fails to protect women's health, but jeopardizes it. Congress ignored women's health in passing this law," says Nancy Northup, President of the Center.

Internationally we are also seeing results. In May 2005, the Center submitted a letter to the United Nations Children's Rights Committee highlighting the Nepalese government's failure to combat child marriage and ensure adolescents' access to reproductive health care. In June, the Committee, in its review of Nepal's compliance with the Children's Rights Convention, expressed concern about these issues and recommended steps to address them. "The committee's recognition that child marriage undermines the protections offered by the Convention - including children's right to education - will have broad implications in Nepal, and will support continued advocacy against child marriage worldwide," says Melissa Upreti, the Center's Legal Adviser for Asia.

Of course, then there is Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts. While we are busily preparing for the hearings in September, our first response is grave concern. "We are alarmed that the President has chosen someone who in his legal career has advocated for the reversal of Roe v. Wade. That position, had it been accepted by the Supreme Court, would have risked the health and safety and taken away the constitutional right of millions of women," says Nancy Northup, in her statement on Roberts' nomination.

Several new publications are available on our website. The Center's new briefing paper on the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa explains how the Protocol can be used to protect and enforce reproductive rights in Africa.

In addition, our briefing paper on Emergency Contraception worldwide is now available in Spanish, and our 2005 World's Abortion Laws Map is also available in Spanish.

Please make a donation to the Center…your support is crucial, now as always.

Thanks for your support,

Nancy Northup,
President