Abortion, Autonomy And The Deep Blue Sea: The Supreme Court’s Decision In R (On The Application Of A And B) v Secretary Of State For Health
The question in this case was whether the Secretary of State, who had power to make provision for the functioning of the NHS in England, was legally obliged to make...
The DUP’s Worrying Human Rights Record
As talks between the Conservative Party and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) continue in the UK, the DUP’s positions on human rights are of general interest. Although the Conservative Party...
About Abortion (with Carol Sanger)
Since the 1973 Supreme Court ruling on Roe v. Wade, abortion has been legal in the United States. But terminating pregnancy remains a controversial issue, and it plays a surprisingly...
Re-victimizing Victims of Sexual Assault: UK Child Benefit Laws
In the last few years, the UK has been relentlessly pursuing austerity measures and drastically reducing welfare expenditure. Today, as part of this trend, the government has restricted access to...
Emerging concerns for human rights in childbirth: Imposed evidenced-based care as obstetric violence?
Pregnancy and childbirth can trigger the violation of a number of rights including bodily and psychological integrity, equality, dignity, and privacy. This concern is particularly relevant when women are funnelled...
France Risks Violating the Right to Freedom of Expression with New Abortion Law Proposals
France is set to introduce a controversial new law which criminalizes the online ‘obstruction’ of abortion. The legislation will extend existing provisions that have made it a criminal offence in...
Let’s Talk About Sex Education and Human Rights in Schools
RightsUp #RightNow is a series of mini episodes in the RightsUp podcast series that explores current events dealing with human rights issues. On 11 January, members of a public bill...
A and B v Secretary of State for Health: a step in the right direction?
On the 2 of November 2016 the UK Supreme Court considered the case of A (by her litigation friend B) and B v Secretary of State for Health. By way...
Who is my mother? The dilemma of surrogacy agreements – Part I
The High Court of Kenya in A.M.N & 2 others v The Attorney General & 5 others was faced with the issue of how surrogacy agreements ought to be enforced....
Sexual and Reproductive Rights in the Courtroom: Litigation Strategies in Light of the Zika Outbreak
Earlier this year the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency in response to the Zika virus, stating that “the level of alarm is extremely high.” It has taken...
UN Rights Experts Warn Against the Grave Threat of Unsafe Abortions
A group of United Nations human rights experts have called on States to repeal restrictive abortion laws and policies; dismantle discriminatory barriers to access to safe reproductive health services; decriminalise...
Advancing the Right to Education in South Africa
James Rooney is one of the Oxford Human Rights Hub/Rhodes University Travelling Fellows. The Fellowship is a partnership between the Oxford Human Rights Hub, Rhodes University in South Africa, and...
