The Center's website has a whole new look! We hope you can take time to explore the brand new ReproductiveRights.org, now redesigned with more ways to learn about and engage with our work in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the United States. It's sure to be your go-to resource on all things reproductive health and rights.

But first, check out more Center news below.

Europe

Poland called on to implement long-overdue abortion measures

For nearly 14 years, Poland has continued creating barriers to abortion access despite three seminal European Court of Human Rights rulings. After the Center and our partners urged action, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe recently issued a resolution ordering the Polish government to comply with the rulings by the end of 2021. Poland has not only failed to implement these long-overdue changes, but in recent years, the government has also introduced even more restrictions on abortion. Today, there is a de facto near-total ban on abortion in Poland.

Asia

The Center and partners track impact of COVID-19 on reproductive rights in the Philippines

In the Philippines, severe lockdowns imposed by the government aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 have aggravated existing barriers to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, particularly among adolescents. A new report from the Center and our partners in the Philippines highlights how lack of access to essential reproductive health services has led to preventable maternal deaths, an expected increase in unintended pregnancies (including among young people), and a decline in contraceptive services. The report, which was submitted to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, aims to ensure access to SRH services and resources for all people in the Philippines—including young people—during the pandemic and beyond.

Africa

Center hosts dialogue around protecting reproductive rights in Nigerian conflict settings

The Center for Reproductive Rights and our partners at the Legal Defence and Assistance Project announced the release of a research report on sexual and reproductive rights in conflict settings at an event in Nigeria on March 30. The launch brought together international human rights champions including the UN, government agencies, and civil society organizations, and featured discussions on how the report’s findings may be used to improve the well-being of women and girls in Nigeria and other areas impacted by conflict.

"Poland is the only EU member state in recent history to actually remove a ground for legal abortion. The actions of Polish lawmakers fly in the face of the overwhelming trend across the region in recent years, which has been to decrease restrictions on access to abortion and to adopt laws that protect women's health and rights."

—Leah Hoctor
Regional Director for Europe on the Polish government's recent rollback on reproductive rights