LML member Dr Stephanie Palmer recently presented ‘Abortion and the precarity of rights’ at St John’s College, University of Cambridge.
She offered the following summary of her talk:
“The overturning of Roe v Wade by the Supreme Court of the USA is a salient reminder of the uncertainty of rights. Nor is restriction of abortion an isolated one: many populist leaders around the world are espousing policies which entail severe limitations on abortion access and availability for women.
Neither UK law nor the ECHR recognize a ‘right to abortion’. In the UK abortion remains a criminal law offence and the medical profession is entrusted to decide whether an abortion is permissible. Should pregnant persons have greater autonomy over their body?”
The presentation was part of a three-part talk series on misinformation and misconceptions in various aspects of women’s health, titled: ‘The Facts of Life: Debunking Misconceptions in Women’s Health’. The sessions featured short introductory talks from an expert panel followed by whole-audience discussion. The aim of the series is to bring together an interdisciplinary group of Cambridge undergraduates, postgraduates, and researchers to discuss topics which general audiences are under, and often time mis-informed on.
The series was organised by Students Against Pseudoscience (CUSAP), Cambridge University for Reproductive Rights (CURR), Cambridge Period Project (TCPP), and Cambridge FemTech.