Reproductive Autonomy:
The Impact of the Pandemic and Recent Jurisprudence
March 21, 2024 (Thur)
12:30.pm – 1:30.pm
Rm 901, Cheng Yu Tung Tower, Centennial Campus, The University of Hong Kong
Prof Carole J. Petersen, Professor, William S. Richardson School of Law University of Hawaii
Speaker:
Carole J. Petersen is the Cades Foundation Professor of Law at the William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawaii at Manoa. She teaches International Law, Human Rights, and Gender and the Law. She taught law in Hong Kong from 1989-2006.
Abstract:
The pandemic gave researchers an opportunity to study the efficacy and safety of telemedicine abortion and self-managed abortion. Feminist organizations also organized to provide cross-border services and far more women now know how to obtain and use abortion pills. This can be empowering, not only during public emergencies but also when legal rights are suddenly taken away. Unfortunately, for women who require surgical abortion care, overly strict laws still lead to tragic outcomes. This is why treaty-monitoring bodies and courts are gradually recognizing a right to reproductive autonomy under regional and international human rights law.
Chair:
Prof Hualing Fu, Professor, Faculty of Law, HKU
