To: Center for Reproductive Rights supporters
From: Enid Muthoni Ndiga
Date: December 20, 2023
Re: Global highlights from 2023

As the Center for Reproductive Rights closes out 2023, I want to share with you some of the highlights in our work across the globe that were only possible thanks to your support.

Center provides testimony at hearing on the impact of agrochemicals on reproductive health in Latin America

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights heard testimony from the Center and other legal and medical experts on the adverse impact of glyphosate and other agrochemicals—which are used widely in Latin America—on the reproductive health of women and children in the region. The hearing marked the first time the Commission addressed the harms of agrochemicals, which especially harm reproductive health, leading to increased rates of fertility disorders, miscarriages, low birth weight, premature birth, congenital malformations, infant mortality and other conditions. Read more.

Center releases study on the impact of restricted access to sexual and reproductive health care on refugees from Ukraine

The Center and eight partner organizations released a report documenting the gaps and barriers in accessing sexual and reproductive health care and gender-based violence support services faced by refugees from Ukraine in Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. Because of these obstacles, some refugees are returning to Ukraine temporarily to access essential reproductive health care, accessing care outside of legal pathways or going without much-needed care entirely. Learn more.

Center works to enforce constitutional right to abortion in Kenya

Although Kenya's 2010 Constitution established the right to health care including access to reproductive health care, abortion care has remained almost unobtainable in most of the country, especially in rural areas. But in a positive ruling and after a five-year court battle, a health care provider and the mother of an adolescent girl were cleared of charges of procuring an abortion by a Kenyan court. This dismissal in the Center's case sent a clear message affirming abortion as a health care right. Learn more.

Center's new manual maps out India's abortion laws

This year, the Center and its partners launched a new manual that maps out India’s abortion laws, examines barriers to abortion access through an intersectional lens, and makes recommendations to improve access to care. This is especially timely after a 2021 amendment to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1971 liberalized abortion legislation to increase access for minors, women with disabilities, rape survivors, and others. Learn more.

Center files groundbreaking cases on behalf of women denied abortions in the U.S.

In March, the Center filed the first case on behalf of women denied abortions in the U.S. after the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. This groundbreaking case in Texas argues that the Texas state constitution protects the right to obtain an abortion when facing life or health-threatening conditions. Since then, the Center has taken similar legal action in Tennessee, Oklahoma and Idaho. Learn more.

Your support today will ensure our team can build on this year's advancements in reproductive rights in 2024.

Onward,

Enid Muthoni Ndiga
Chief Program Officer