Reproductive Rights Prof Blog

Student Writing Competition on Women's Bodily Freedom

CALL FOR PAPERS

WOMEN'S BAR ASSOCIATION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND THE WASHINGTON COLLEGE OF LAW:

LEGAL ESSAY WRITING COMPETITION

The status and future of women's bodily freedom in American policy-making and jurisprudence.

The Modern American announces the American University Washington College of Law essay competition, open to all full-time and part-time law students enrolled in and attending an accredited law school in the United States.

DEADLINE: October 1st, 2010, at noon (Eastern Standard Time).

Download Call for Papers

Mark Egerman on Inmates' Right to Elective Abortions Under the Eighth Amendment

Mark Egerman (fellow, Georgetown University Law Center, and staff counsel, National Abortion Federation) has posted Roe v. Crawford: Do Inmates Have an Eighth Amendment Right to Elective Abortions?, on SSRN. Here is the abstract:

This note examines the legal questions surrounding incarcerated women who wish to receive an abortion. The note examines the 8th Circuit's ruling in Roe v. Crawford and explores the two legal arguments presented in that case. While the court ultimately found the Fourteenth Amendment argument valid and rejected the Eighth Amendment, the author argues that grounding inmate abortion rights in the Eighth Amendment is ultimately a more sustainable solution for reproductive justice advocates. The core of an Eighth Amendment case is presented with corresponding medical evidence that argues that not only should inmates have access to abortions, but that they should be funded the same as any other serious medical need under the Eighth Amendment.

Center for Reproductive Rights - Columbia Law School Fellowship - Nov. 1 Deadline

The CRR-CLS Fellowship is a two-year, post-graduate fellowship offered by the Center for Reproductive Rights (“the Center”) and Columbia Law School (“the Law School”). The Fellowship is designed to prepare recent law school graduates for legal academic careers in reproductive health and human rights. Fellows will be affiliated with the Center and the Law School and will participate in the intellectual life of both programs. Applicants do not need to be graduates of Columbia Law School to be eligible for this program and do not need prior experience in reproductive rights.

 

We are excited to begin the process of selecting a Fellow to join us in 2011-2013. Our prior Fellow, Khiara Bridges, is joining the Boston University Law School faculty in a tenure-track position.

 

The deadline for applications for this cycle is November 1, 2010.

 

Attached is a description of the Fellowship and an application form in one document. If you would like to learn more about the Center’s Law School Initiative, which supports the Fellowship, please visit our website here or get in touch with me via email at [email protected].

69 Law School Deans Join Public Letter Endorsing Kagan

Wash. Post: 69 law school deans endorse Kagan in letter to Senate, by Amy Goldstein:

The deans of more than one-third of the nation's law schools have endorsed Elena Kagan's nomination to the Supreme Court, issuing a public letter that praises her legal analysis, writings, coalition-building skills and "understanding of both doctrine and policy."

The four-paragraph letter, dated eight days ago and addressed to the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was distributed Tuesday by the White House, which is orchestrating support for President Obama's selection for the high court in preparation for her Senate confirmation hearings. . . . 

Call for Student Submissions: Feminist Jurisprudence Essay Contest

American University, Washington College of Law: Alice Paul Feminist Jurisprudence Essay Contest:

 Washington College of Law has a long tradition of supporting feminist legal scholarship. To honor this tradition, our Feminist Jurisprudence Essay Contest has been named in honor of Alice Paul, a Washington College of Law alumna. Alice Paul, class of 1922, authored the original Equal Rights Amendment (while studying at WCL) and founded the National Women's Party. Paul played a pivotal role in the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. She wrote the equal rights amendment in the Preamble to the Charter of the United Nations in 1923 and pushed for the inclusion of "sex" in the 1964 Civil Rights Act - still the only Federal protection women have against discrimination in the workplace. She presented this at the 75th anniversary of the Seneca Falls meeting. We hope to inspire the next generation of scholars, lawyers and activists to make daring and creative contributions to feminist jurisprudence.

The deadline for submission is June 1, 2010.  Click here for contest information and to submit online.

LSRJ Launches New Reproductive Justice Fellowship Program

Via LSRJ: Reproductive Justice Fellowship Program:

Law Students for Reproductive Justice (LSRJ) is launching a new, funded fellowship program for current 3Ls and recent law school graduates interested in working to advance reproductive justice.

The Reproductive Justice Fellowship Program (RJFP) will enhance capacity at reproductive justice organizations working to influence law and policy and build a pipeline for future reproductive justice lawyers. Six (6) RJ Fellows will be paid $50,000 plus benefits and placed with host organizations in Washington DC for a year-long program (starting in August 2010) that includes mentoring, professional development, training, and networking opportunities.

To apply, please download the following application(s):

Fellow Application: RJFP_Fellow_Application.pdf
Organization Application: http://lsrj.org/documents/RJFP_Organization_Application.pdf
RJFP description also available at Internships & Fellowships page:
http://lsrj.org/internships_fellowship/index/
All applications must be submitted to the LSRJ Curriculum & Training Coordinator at [email protected] by 5:00PM PST on MONDAY, MAY 17, 2010.

Early applications are strongly encouraged. Questions by email only. Thanks!

Law, Gender & Citizenship Symposium on March 5, 2010

Wisconsin Journal of Law, Gender & Society Symposium announces:

Law, Gender & Citizenship: Contemporary Issues for American Indians and American Immigrants

March 5, 2010

Pyle Center  •  702 Langdon Street  •  University of Wisconsin-Madison

Click here for the symposium agenda.

NAPW Conference on Drugs, Pregnancy and Parenting

Via National Advocates for Pregnant Women:

National Advocates for Pregnant Women and New York University present:

Drugs, Pregnancy and Parenting: What the Experts Have to Say

Part II

People working in the fields of criminal law, family law and child welfare frequently have cases that involve issues of drug use. These lawyers, social workers, counselors, advocates and investigators, however, are often trying to do their jobs without the benefit of evidence-based research or access to experts knowledgeable about drugs, drug treatment and the relationship between drug use, pregnancy and parenting. On April 29, 2010 we will continue the education and conversations started at last year's continuing education program, Drugs, Pregnancy and Parenting: What the Experts in Medicine Social Work and the Law Have to Say. PART II will provide the opportunity to meet and learn from new experts ready to address some of the questions left unanswered at last year's event.

When: Thursday, April 29, 2010 (half day program)
Where: NYU School of Law, 40 Washington Square South, Manhattan
Registration: http://napwedprogram.eventbrite.com

We are in the process of obtaining Continuing Education Credits in the areas of Law, Social Work, CASAC and Nursing.

For more information, contact Aileen Dibra, NAPW Conference Coordinator, at [email protected]

The Modern American: Call for Submissions (March 1 Deadline)

The Modern American Spring 2010 Call for Submissions:

The Modern American, the award-winning legal publication dedicated to diversity and the law from American University Washington College of Law, is seeking submissions for its Spring 2010 issue.

The Modern American is a unique forum that addresses legal topics that affect marginalized communities, articulates under-represented experiences within the law, and offers a platform for critical studies work, particularly as these areas relate to race, nationality, gender, class, ability, and sexuality. Our publication explores the interesting intersections between the law and policy, as well as tensions between the legal and non-legal world. Our most recent fall issue published work on critical gender theory and US asylum law’s application to domestic violence survivors; racial politics submerging equal protection jurisprudence in a post-identity Court; and a historical myth-busting on orphan trains and the law. 

We are looking for cutting-edge legal scholarship for our newest issue. Our publication prefers short essays (20 pages or fewer), legal commentary, and other non-traditional formats on timely topics. We are especially eager to publish legal commentary from published law faculty or essays from practitioners and emerging scholars whether new faculty or law students.

Please submit your piece for consideration to [email protected] with a cover letter and resume by Monday, March 1^st. We accept papers on a rolling basis with a preference for earlier submissions. 

Sixth Annual Wells Conference on Adoption Law

Capital University Law Review and the National Conference for Adoption Law and Policy announce the Sixth Annual Wells Conference on Adoption Law:

Please join the Capital University Law Review and the National Center for Adoption Law and Policy for –  The Sixth Annual Wells Conference on Adoption Law 

When: Thursday, March 11, 2010

 

Where: The Conference will be held at the Capital University Law School in downtown Columbus, Ohio.  

 

6.25 CLE and Social Work CEU Credits Available

 

“The Future of the Family: Modern Challenges in Adoption Law”

The Wells Conference strives to provide attorneys with practical advice relating to the adoption field.  The Conference is host to adoption experts from around the country, practicing adoption attorneys, and social workers who specialize in adoption.  As the make-up of families continues to evolve, the Conference will highlight issues and problems facing modern families.  This year’s Conference focuses on very timely topics, including:

(1) The Impact of Assisted Reproduction on Families

(2) Overcoming Barriers to the Creation of Families for Members of the GLBT Community

(3) The Impact of the Economic Crisis on Families

Attorneys applying for CLE credit:  $50

Social Workers, Students, Others: Free (pre-registration required)

Please visit the Wells Conference website.

Register online.  Continental breakfast and lunch are included in the registration fee.

NYU Review of Law & Social Change: Symposium on "Broadening the Lens of Sexual & Reproductive Rights"

This blog will be posting abstracts from participants in an upcoming symposium hosted by the NYU Review of Law & Social Change, "From Page to Practice: Broadening the Lens for Sexual & Reproductive Rights," on February 12.  The editors invite comments from readers on these abstracts.

Via the NYU Review of Law & Social Change:

While most legal symposia consist of academics speaking at length about their current research intended for publication in an upcoming journal symposium issue, the NYU Review of Law & Social Change is seeking to do something different in its February 12th symposium, From Page to Practice: Broadening the Lens for Sexual & Reproductive Rights. As part of the Page to Practice model, they are integrating practitioner voices into the discussion. Through the conversations that develop, the symposium planners hope to bring an on the ground critical lens to academic work and encourage collaborations around strategy that extend beyond traditional silos.

As part of this collaborative model, we are posting some of the academic presenters’ abstracts here. Given that this is a one-day symposium, the organizers hope to begin the conversations early through comments and ideas posted on blogs. For more information about the symposium, please see the invitation below.

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National Advocates for Pregnant Women: Writing Competition

NAPW Law Student Writing Competition 2010:

NAPW is a non-profit organization dedicated to securing the human and civil rights, health and welfare of pregnant and parenting women, and furthering the interests of their families.

This year's writing contest is “Birthing Rights as a Matter of Gender Equality" . The full description of the contest is available here: Birthing Rights Prompt.  The flyer for it is here: Writing Contest Flyer.  The first prize entry will receive $1000. The second prize is $500 and third prize is $250. The deadline has been extended to December 15, 2010 to encourage involvement from law schools all across the country but 2010 graduates will still retain eligibility.

We hope that you will encourage your students to participate in the contest.  You can also let them know that the top three prize winners for last year's contest are all getting their articles published.

Please e-mail any questions to [email protected] 

Call for Submissions: Sarah Weddington Writing Prize

The Center for Reproductive Rights and Law Students for Reproductive Justice Announce the 5th Annual Sarah Weddington Writing Prize:

The Center for Reproductive Rights’ Law School Initiative and Law Students for Reproductive Justice are accepting submissions for the 5th annual Sarah Weddington Writing Prize.  Please pass this information along to students you think might be interested.

The theme this year is Reproductive Rights As Human Rights.  This theme reaffirms the universality of reproductive justice, and the value of integrating international and comparative approaches to advancing reproductive rights.  The goal of this year’s writing prize is to encourage innovative analysis and advocacy, as well as to help prepare future leaders of the reproductive justice movement. Potential topics include, but are not limited to the emerging focus on the right to survive pregnancy and childbirth as a human right; the denial of reproductive health care services on the basis of conscience; cruel, unusual and degrading treatment (CIDT) in the context of reproductive healthcare delivery; or protecting abortion providers as human rights defenders.

Submissions should be sent as a Word attachment to [email protected] by March 1, 2010 at 12:00 PM, EST.

Winning authors will receive $750 (1st place), $500 (2nd place) or $250 (3rd place), have their submission published on the LSRJ and CRR websites, and potentially be invited to present their papers at conferences and symposia.

Please see http://lsrj.org/awards for prize details, suggested resources and submission guidelines.

Wisconsin Journal of Law, Gender & Society: Call for Papers (Due Nov. 15th)

The Wisconsin Journal of Law, Gender & Society announces our 2010 Symposium: Contemporary Issues for American Indians and American Immigrants:

Conference will be held March 5, 2010 at University of Wisconsin Law School (Madison, Wisconsin). We are seeking original scholarship, from both scholars and practitioners, that addresses the intersections of law and gender in the daily lives of two populations, each of which occupies a unique space in American law: American Indians and Immigrants. Interested parties should send an abstract to: [email protected] by November 15, 2009. Those selected for the Symposium will be notified in early January 2010. The Journal’s Symposium issue will be published in Winter 2010. Questions can be addressed to Symposium Editor Dan Lewerenz, [email protected].

Call for Papers: 7th Annual Symposium on "IP/Gender: Mapping the Connections"

IP/Gender: Mapping the Connections

7th Annual Symposium

April 16, 2010

CALL FOR PAPERS

The symposium will convene from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm on Friday, April 16, 2010 at the American University Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C. 

Special Theme: Gender and Invention

Sponsored by American University Washington College of Law’s Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property and Women and the Law Program, Journal of Gender, and Social Policy & the Law

Deadline for submission of abstracts:  November 20, 2009 at 5:00pm (Eastern Time)

The 7th Annual Symposium on “IP/Gender: Mapping the Connections” invites proposals for papers on gender issues relating to the production and use of inventions, broadly defined.  Appropriate topics might include: gendered patterns in the history of invention or creation; gendered regulation of inventive activities; gendered models of individual and collective inventive activities; gendered aspects in licensing or assignment of technologies; and related subjects.

To submit an abstract or project description for consideration, fill in the web-based form by clicking HERE. 

To find additional information on submitting a paper and attending the symposium, click HERE. 

Center for Reproductive Rights To Host Webinar on Teaching Reproductive Rights

The Center for Reproductive Rights is hosting a webinar on Teaching Reproductive Rights – What is the Role for Transnational Law? on Friday, November 13^th, from 3 - 4 pm (Eastern):

To take part, all you need to do is call a toll-free number. You can also watch a PowerPoint presentation on your computer during the call.

The webinar will focus on an important new article by Professor Martha Davis of Northeastern  - “Reproductive Rights in the Legal Academy: A New Role for Transnational Law,” which was published in the American Journal of Legal Education in September. The article can be found on SSRN. As you will see, the article summarizes Professor Davis’ research and findings about how reproductive rights are currently being taught in US law schools and opens the conversation about the value of bringing in comparative and international law.

Responding to Professor Davis will be Professor Erika George from the University of Utah.

After hearing from the presenters and responders, we will open up the call for conversation. We hope to both discuss Martha’s findings, and hear some personal experiences with teaching reproductive rights and using (or not using) non-U.S. materials. The call is intended to be collegial and informal and to promote reflection and exchange about current teaching approaches.

This webinar is part of the CRR’s wider Law School Initiative which, as you may know, has undertaken a range of activities to encourage teaching and scholarship around reproductive rights. For teaching, we are focusing on the value of bringing in comparative and international law. To that end, we have produced supplemental course modules for law teachers who would like to integrate transnational materials into their teaching of Family Law, Reproductive Rights, and Reproductive Technology and Bioethics. More about what the Law School Initiative has been up to can be found here: http://reproductiverights.org/en/our-work/law-school-initiative.

If you are interested in taking part in this webinar, please contact Diana Hortsch and she will forward you the call-in number on November 12th, the day before the event.

Diana Hortsch (Director of the Law School Initiative at the Center for Reproductive Rights)

Phone: (917) 637-3669

[email protected]

Call for Presenters and Papers: Sixth Annual Wells Conference on Adoption Law

The Future of the Family: Modern Challenges in Adoption Law:

Conference is March 11, 2010 at Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio

The conference is seeking proposals for presentations and papers emphasizing the following themes: 

(1) The Impact of the Economic Crisis on Families
(2) The Impact of Artificial Reproduction on Families
(3) Overcoming Barriers to the Creation of Families for Members of the LGBT Community

Participants are asked to a lead a panel discussion on one of the topics above.  Each topic will have 3-4 panel members who will present 30-45 minutes each, with discussion to follow.  In addition, participants are requested to prepare an article associated with their presentation for publication in the Capital University Law Review next year.  The article would be due on September 1, 2010.

Please send your proposals to the Wells Conference Committee Chair, Alisa Hardy ([email protected]) by October 16, 2009.

WLPPFP and LAWA Fellowship Program Now Accepting Applications

Invitation for Applications for WLPPFP and LAWA Fellowships at Georgetown Law:

Each year the Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellowship Program (WLPPFP) at the Georgetown University Law Center offers fellowship positions providing educational and professional development opportunities for attorneys who are dedicated to using their legal talents to advance women's rights.  We offer two types of fellowships.  One type focuses on a 12 month work experience, where fellows from the United States work on women's legal issues with a public interest organization, a governmental agency, or as a clinical teaching fellow at Georgetown Law.  The other type is our Leadership and Advocacy for Women in Africa (LAWA) Fellowship, where women's rights lawyers from Africa earn a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree from Georgetown Law focusing on international women’s human rights, and then participate in a post-graduation summer legal internship experience before returning home after the fellowship to continue advancing women’s rights in their own countries.  Although each fellowship experience is unique, all of our fellows learn together about substantive women’s rights issues, explore a multitude of career paths through which they can advocate for women’s equality, and develop their legal skills through seminars, trainings, networking events and other activities provided by WLPPFP.

Address:

Women's Law and Public Policy Fellowship Program
600 New Jersey Avenue, N.W.
Hotung 5024A
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: (202) 662-9650
Email: [email protected]

Please note:  due to limited staffing and the high volume of applications we receive, we regret that we are unable to notify applicants who are not awarded a Fellowship position, or to respond to inquiries from applicants (although questions specifically about the Domestic Violence Clinical Fellowships may be directed to the Domestic Violence Clinic at 202-662-9640).

More information available here.

Jamal Greene on the Court's Shift from Privacy to Liberty

Jamal Greene (Columbia University School of Law) has posted The So-Called Right to Privacy on SSRN.  Here is the abstract:

The constitutional right to privacy has been a conservative bugaboo ever since Justice Douglas introduced it into the United States Reports in Griswold v. Connecticut. Reference to the 'so-called' right to privacy has become code for the view that the right is doctrinally recognized but not in fact constitutionally enshrined. This Article argues that the constitutional right to privacy is no more. The two rights most associated historically with the right to privacy are abortion and intimate sexual conduct, yet Gonzales v. Carhart and Lawrence v. Texas made clear that neither of these rights is presently justified by its proponents on the Court as aspects of constitutional privacy. Other rights that might be protected by a constitutional right to privacy, such as the right to refuse medical treatment or the right to assisted suicide, are either justified on liberty grounds or are not constitutionally protected at all. The Court’s move from privacy to liberty as a constitutional basis for the freedom to make fundamental life decisions strengthens the rights themselves by anchoring them to constitutional text in a text-happy era, and represents a victory for Justice Stevens, who has long advocated such a shift.

"Revista Argentina de Teoría Jurídica" Publishes Special Issue on Reproductive & Sexual Health Law

Via Martín Hevia (School of Law, Universidad Torcuato Di Tella; Global Fellow, International Reproductive & Sexual Health Law Programme, University of Toronto):

Revista Argentina de Teoría Jurídica of the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella is the law journal of the School of Law of the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella at Buenos Aires, Argentina. Its Vol. 13 is a special issue on reproductive and sexual health law.  It includes dossiers on sexual and reproductive health, conscientious objection, and medical confidentiality.

The special issue on Reproductive Rights includes Spanish translations of papers on conscientious objection by established scholars in the field:

Professor Bernard Dickens from the University of Toronto and Professor Rebecca Dresser from Washington University in St. Louis: "Servicios de Salud Reproductiva y el Derecho y Ética de la Objeción de Conciencia" and "Profesionales, Adecuacíón y Conciencia" respectively.

"Secreto Profesional Médico y Servicios de Salud Sexual y Reproductiva en la Jurisprudencia de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos" is a case comment on the leading case of the Inter American American Court of Human Rights on medical confidentiality, "De la Cruz Flores v. Perú" (2004), by Martín Hevia (School of Law, Universidad Torcuato Di Tella; Global Fellow, International Reproductive & Sexual Health Law Programme, University of Toronto) and Oscar Cabrera (O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University Law Center).  The paper discusses the legal implications of De la Cruz Flores on the scope of medical disclosure of confidential information in the provision of post-abortion health care in Latin America.

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