Carolina Austria

RH Reality Check, Asia
I am a feminist and social activist, a lawyer as well as an academic. I have worked with NGOs for the last thirteen years, first as an Environment Lawyer handling litigation for Legal and Natural Resources Center (Friends of the Earth-Philippines) and later as a feminist lawyer for both litigation and research programs at the Women’s Legal Bureau,Inc. I was founding Executive Director of Women’s Legal Education, Advocacy & Defense Foundation Inc. (WOMENLEAD) from 2000-2005 where I am now a Volunteer/Board Chairperson. I have been an independent consultant for the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF-UK); the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines, Women and Gender Institute (WAGI), Women’s Feature Service (WFS) as well as other women’s organizations and NGOs working on Reproductive health. I was an 2007 LLM Fellow of the International Sexual and Reproductive Health Program of the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto. I also teach at the College of Law, University of the Philippines. I am an incoming SJD Fellow of the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto. (2009) I am a Research Associate for the SRHR Project of the Development Alternatives with Women for a New Network (DAWN).

Almost All Sex Is Sin?

With a very limited and negative view of sexuality, the Catholic Church's attention always seems inordinately focused on what it views as "unnatural sex acts" -- and it doesn't bother distinguishing between consensual acts and abuse.

A Tale of Three Cities

Manila is now famous for its ban on perfectly safe, legal and much needed contraceptives. But other Filipino cities nearby are taking very different stands.

Manila’s Women Battle Ban on Birth Control

On January 29, 2008, a group of women, together with activist organizations and individuals working on women's reproductive rights in Manila, filed a case countering the seven-year de facto ban on contraceptives in city funded health facilities.