Discussion | Comparative Examination of Legal Rights Over Women's Bodies Autonomy

On Friday, 6 December 2024, the Gender Studies Programme and Law School at Sciences Po will organise the second Symposium on Reproductive Rights. The event, which focuses on discussions in law and comparative law, aims to explore how the French case relates to broader global dynamics.

The symposium will take place in the heart of Paris and will be headed by Helena Alviar García and Marie Mercat-Bruns, both Full University Professors at Sciences Po. The event contrasts with jurisdictions around the world that are curtailing sexual and reproductive rights.

The symposium will be divided into three panels. The first panel will explore diverse approaches to legalising abortion, featuring Marie Mercat Bruns, Eleonora Bottini, and Bianca Gardella Tedeschi. Bianca Gardella Tedeschi hails from Università del Piemonte Orientale in Italy, while Eleonora Bottini is from Université de Caen Normandie in France. Camilla Crea, Isabel Cristina Jaramillo Sierra, and Angela Condello from Università degli Studi di Messina, Università degli Studi del Sannio, and Universidad de los Andes, respectively, will participate in the second session on salient ideas of theoretical debates.

The third session of the Symposium will outline trends and compare laws with Paola Bergallo from Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, Argentina, Dorcas Goabga from Sciences Po, France, Katarzyna Sękowska-Kozłowska from the Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland, and Isabela Hümmelgen from Central European University, Austria.

The symposium will discuss lessons to be learned and limitations shaped by geographical and cultural contexts. It will have a special focus on the recent decision by French lawmakers to enshrine women's freedom to terminate pregnancy in the Constitution, as well as on how the French case relates to other countries' policies.

This symposium promises to be an enlightening event for anyone interested in reproductive rights, law, and comparative law. With a diverse group of academics and experts from around the world, the symposium offers a unique opportunity to delve into the complexities of this important issue.