Law Commons^™

The Legacy Of Colonialism: Law And Women's Rights In India, Varsha Chitnis, Danaya C. Wright

Danaya C. Wright

The relationship between nineteenth century England and colonial India was complex in terms of negotiating the different constituencies that claimed an interest in the economic and moral development of the colonies. After India became subject to the sovereignty of the English Monarchy in 1858, its future became indelibly linked with that of England's, yet India's own unique history and culture meant that many of the reforms the colonialists set out to undertake worked out differently than they anticipated. In particular, the colonial ambition of civilizing the barbaric native Indian male underlay many of the legal reforms attempted in the nearly …

Abortion In South Africa And The United States: An Integrative, Contrastive Comparative Analysis Of The Effect Of Legal And Cultural Influences On Implementation Of Abortion Rights, Danielle Y. Blanks

Danielle Y Blanks

Despite similarly progressive abortion rights laws, women in South Africa and the U.S. experience completely different levels of access to legal and safe abortions. In this paper, I will seek to explain the reasons for this disparity by describing the ways in which natural law has influenced the application of law in the U.S. and South Africa while examining the role of cultural values in the realization of abortion rights. I will take an integrative approach to explain ideological similarities and a contrastive approach to denote the cultural differences that have led to a de facto marginalization of South African …

Abortion In Latin America And The Caribbean: A Comparative Analysis Of Domestic Laws And Relevant Jurisprudence Following The Adoption Of The American Convention On Human Rights, Ligia M. De Jesus

Ligia M. De Jesus

Laws prohibiting abortion and laws allowing it under certain circumstances coexist in Latin America and Caribbean. This paper examines whether these sets of norms evince any consistencies in the region as a whole and whether recent trends in legislation and jurisprudence favor recognition of abortion rights. The paper carries out a comparative analysis of relevant Latin American and Caribbean national constitutions, primary laws (i.e. laws that prevail over lesser regulations or administrative directives), domestic jurisprudence and high court decisions on abortion. The question is relevant for the purposes of treaty interpretation, particularly the interpretation of the American Convention on Human …

El Derecho A La Vida En Una Sentencia Del Tribunal Constitucional Plurinacional De Bolivia [The Right To Life In A Judgment By The Constitutional Court Of Bolivia], Ligia M. De Jesus, Nicolás Lafferriere, María Inés Franck

Ligia De Jesus Castaldi

Treaty Interpretation Of The Right To Life Before Birth By Latin American And Caribbean States: An Analysis Of International Treaty Obligations, Regional Agreements And Relevant State Practice, Ligia M. De Jesus

Ligia M. De Jesus

Even though non-judicial international human rights bodies routinely promote the understanding that the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the American Convention on Human Rights mandate the legalization of abortion, states parties have authoritatively interpreted their treaty obligations otherwise. This article examines, in particular, evidence of Latin American and Caribbean states’ interpretation of these treaties as recognizing and protecting the unborn child’s right to life and health in a comprehensive manner, as well as evidence of their rejection of abortion rights in international fora. Section II discusses international treaties ratified by Latin American and Caribbean states that explicitly …

Abortion And Women's Legal Personhood In Germany: A Contribution To The Feminist Theory Of The State, D. A. Jeremy Telman

D. A. Jeremy Telman

This article looks at abortion regulation in Germany in the context of the full range of laws through which the state specifies the status of women as legal persons. Reviewing Germany's most important abortion law decisions in 1975 and 1993, the article contends that while the Constitutional Court struck a balance between the East German legacy of reproductive freedom and West Germany's robust protections of the right to life, it did so by undermining the legal structures that had facilitated full civil, economic and political equality for women in East Germany through legal regimes geared towards protecting women's reproductive autonomy.