In the seminal international human rights treaties there is no express legal guarantee for abortion rights. Nevertheless, since the 1990s, women’s rights activists have used international human rights forums and mechanisms to advance abortion rights. Cumulatively, human rights law can now be said to call for the decriminalization of abortion and the legalization of abortion in cases where the pregnancy threatens the life or health of the woman, is the result of rape or incest, or there is severe fetal impairment. Despite this promising trajectory, international human rights law does not recognize a woman’s right to decide whether to carry a pregnancy to term as a matter of her autonomy, equality or self-determination. One reason for this is advocates have attempted to follow the path of least resistance for abortion rights and focused instead on the right to health, the right to be free from cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, and the right to privacy. Recognizing unsafe abortion as a major public...
On Thursday November 2nd, Ivanka Trump traveled to Japan to speak at the World Assembly of Women. In her remarks, Trump commented on the importance of shaping a more realistic picture of women who work (be it in the home, outside, or a combination of both), and that women need to be afforded the same opportunities as their male peers. As she talked about her daughter, she said: "It is my hope that by the time my daughter Arabella grows into a woman, she will not be defined by whether she works inside or outside the home. She will simply be a woman afforded the same opportunities as her male peers and equipped with the education and support she needs to fulfill her unique potential." For her daughter, or girls around the world to do this? They need access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare. Without the ability to decide and control their reproductive futures, girls choices are taken away from them. They will...
What is the function of the clitoris? Before I began teaching comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) at WISER Girls’, a secondary school located in Muhuru Bay, Kenya, I never imagined that this would be the most frequently asked question. Especially among a class of female third-year high school students. When I was first asked, I gave a cursory – and yes, somewhat bashful – reply, explaining the clitoris as the “anatomical source of sexual pleasure in females.” But this answer did not satisfy the students, and they probed for more information. As we engaged in a discussion, I learned that many weren’t familiar with an external representation of the female genitalia – especially one with a “non-reproductive” function. As my answers became more justificatory about the significance of the clitoris, I realized that my attitudes about legitimized female sexuality had begun to leak into my responses. While I tried to remove any bias from my answers, I struggled with leaving my...
