Abortion access in the United States came under threat recently when anti-abortion advocates filed a lawsuit to remove abortion medication from the market. In an effort to provide legal resources for abortion providers and supporters, a coalition of organizations including the Center for Reproductive Rights set up the Abortion Defense Network, an online tool connecting people across the U.S. with legal resources related to abortion. And in a series of firsts, an important ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights recognized obstetric violence in Latin America and the Caribbean while a prominent human rights institution expressed support for the decriminalization of abortion in the Philippines.

United States

New Website Provides Legal Advice on Abortion

The Center and its partners have teamed up with the Lawyering Project to launch the Abortion Defense Network, a new online tool that connects people across the U.S. with attorneys who will provide legal advice and representation related to abortion.

Access to Medication Abortion Under Threat in the U.S.

A lawsuit filed by anti-abortion advocates against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Health and Human Services aims to remove abortion medication from the market in all 50 U.S. states. Filed in a federal district court in Texas, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA, is seeking to revoke FDA's initial approval of mifepristone, one of the drugs used in medication abortion.

Latin America and the Caribbean

New Legal Protections for Pregnant People in Latin America and the Caribbean

A recent ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights will set new standards to protect women and other pregnant people—during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum—from obstetric violence across Latin America and the Caribbean. The ruling came in a case involving a pregnant Argentinian woman whose death resulted from inadequate medical treatment.

Asia

Philippine Commission on Human Rights Recommends that Abortion be Decriminalized 

In an unprecedented move, the Philippine Commission on Human Rights (PCHR) recommended that abortion be decriminalized, marking a historic moment for abortion advocacy in the country. The PCHR is a constitutionally established national human rights institution mandated to provide recommendations to the Philippine Congress for effective promotion of human rights and adherence to international human rights treaty obligations. The Philippines has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world, without any clear exceptions.

"The PCHR's call for decriminalization of abortion is truly historic and celebratory and is in line with the global trend towards liberalizing abortion. This marks the success of advocacy movements in the region, including the Center’s, that has worked for years to realize sexual and reproductive health rights."

—Jihan Jacob, Senior Legal Adviser for Asia at the Center for Reproductive Rights