The current buzz within the abortion rights movement seems to be that we need to take a lesson from the gay rights movement – that people need to start “coming out” with their abortion stories. But we should remember with all of the culture change that the LGBTQ community has seen, stigma and violence are still perpetrated every day.
The power to preserve and expand reproductive rights is inextricably tied the right to vote. But what is power if your ability to leverage it is stripped away?
I have lately become acutely aware of a depressing trend: the denial of abuse – whether the issue is torture, forced evictions, or garden-variety employment discrimination – amongst those of us who should know better. Of course, we don’t call it denial. We call it "realism." But the mechanism is the same.
In the first half of 2012, states enacted 95 new provisions related to reproductive health and rights. As was the case in 2011, issues related to abortion, family planning funding and sex education once again were significant flashpoints in many legislatures .
At the family planning summit in London, I waited to hear leaders of different countries recognise the centrality of women’s human rights, their sexual and reproductive rights. But disappointingly, although a few notable references were made to these issues by some leaders, women’s human rights were not appropriately addressed.
The report of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law, released today, recommends the repeal of laws that prohibit consenting adults from buying or selling sex. The recommendations will be a powerful advocacy tool for sex workers at both international and local levels.
