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Shama Abbasi - 6th September 2020
On 11th of August 2020, a three-judge bench of the Indian apex court decided that its previous interpretation, of the words contained within s.6 of the Hindu Succession Act, was not accurate. Previously, in the case of Prakash v. Phulawati, the Indian Supreme Court had opined that in order for a Hindu woman to access […]
Parkhi Saxena - 1st September 2020
The Supreme Court of India, in a landmark order delivered on 11 August, 2020, cleared all legal cobwebs surrounding equal division of a Hindu ancestral property. Through this judgement, the Court declared that daughters will have inheritance rights equal to that of a son on ancestral properties. Before this, the daughters did not have equal […]
Adity Rahman Shah - 12th August 2020
Being a party to the CEDAW, Bangladesh promises to promote women`s equality in every sphere. But the discriminative approaches to Dowry crime prevention framework in Bangladesh brought by the existing patriarchal justice system is violating women`s right to equality before law under the national and international human rights standards. In Bangladesh, section 2 (j) of […]
- 29th July 2020
In June 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States narrowly maintained that states could not unduly burden women’s access to abortion. The case in question, June Medical Services v. Russo, re-kindled the United States’ ever-fraught debate on whether the Constitution protects a woman’s right to choose. The renewed debate re-launched discussions on another human […]
Paras Ahuja and Rahul Garg - 25th June 2020
On 19 May 2020, the Parliament of Hungary passed the controversial T/9934-Amendment Bill [“Amendment”], amending Act I of 2010, Civil Registration Procedure [“Act”]. The Act lays down the procedure for national registration and certification of births, deaths and marriages based on one’s gender. Article 44(3) of the Act requires registration of names based on one’s […]
- 23rd June 2020
The implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for sexual and reproductive rights (SRR) protection are becoming increasingly apparent, with state lockdowns and the re-routing of resources leaving many without access to sexual and reproductive healthcare (SRH). In a joint statement, the International Planned Parenthood Federation and the European Parliamentary Forum for SRR expressed concerns over the […]
Madhulika T - 23rd June 2020
In a judgment with wide-ranging consequences, the Rajasthan High Court (“High Court”) in India has accepted the defence of Pre-Menstrual Syndrome (“PMS”) induced insanity into the criminal jurisprudence of India. At face value, it could be argued that this is a progressive development in the law. However, a close inspection of the judgement and the evidence […]
Shivani Vij - 27th April 2020
In an important development, the Lower House of the Indian Parliament on 17 March 2020 passed the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill 2020, providing for purportedly beneficial provisions furthering a woman’s right to abort. After seeking majority votes in the Upper House and the President’s assent, the Bill will become law. Though intended to […]
Adyasha Samal - 22nd April 2020
India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has introduced the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill 2020 (the Bill) in the Parliament. The Bill seeks to make abortions more accessible by increasing gestational limits, introducing a privacy clause, and allowing single women to abort due to contraceptive failure. This comes in the backdrop of multiple […]
Émilie Coralie Bouchard - 16th April 2020
The ongoing debate on State laicity in Québec recently took a new twist before the courts. Shortly after the enactment of the new Act respecting the laicity of the State, judicial proceedings were commenced, challenging the prohibition on wearing religious symbols while exercising certain public functions (section 6), and the obligation to have one’s face […]
Daniela Drandic and Fleurvan Leeuwen - 8th April 2020
‘No visitors. Induced labor. Converted delivery wards. Tens of thousands of women across the country are giving birth in unprecedented circumstances.’ Maternal healthcare is changing around the world in response to COVID-19. Many of these measures intended to curb the pandemic are at tension with a range of women’s rights in childbirth and deserve close […]
Stephanie Slader and Kelle Howson - 5th April 2020
During the 2017 New Zealand election campaign, Labour leader Jacinda Ardern pledged to decriminalise abortion if elected. This was the first time in decades abortion reform seemed to be politically in play, giving reproductive rights advocates renewed cause for hope. Last month, Ardern – now our Prime Minister – cast her vote as New Zealand’s […]