This article focuses on the mistreatment of women during childbirth and identifies this area of international law as underdeveloped. The author conducts a comprehensive review of the human rights standards in international law pertaining to the mistreatment of women during childbirth. The main categories of mistreatment are physical, sexual, and verbal abuse; stigma and discrimination; care that falls short of professional standards; and poor rapport with providers. The author then identifies more specific forms of mistreatment within each category and the human rights that combat each. The author identifies this research as useful to health care providers and policymakers in identifying forms of mistreatment in order to monitor violations, further goals of accountability, and developing measures to prevent such violations using international legal framework. 

This article explores the Canadian feminist activism which led to constitutional abortion rights established in the SCC case R v Morgentaler in 1988. Part 1 describes covert “back-alley” abortion practices prior and immediately after the 1969 criminal reform. Part II studies how judicial reasoning resulted in the constitutional decisions. Part III explores how Morgentaler 1988 de-radicalized abortion rights.

This article looks at the issue of time in abortion laws. Time is a very important factor in abortion laws because the laws often relate or refer to gestational age and length or pregnancy. This article focuses on three struggles over time in abortion laws: those related to morality, health and justice. The article concludes that in respect to morality, collective faith and trust should ultimately be placed in the moral judgement of those most affected; the pregnant women. The article concludes that in respect to health, abortions laws need to be more evidence based to counter the stigma associated with abortions which currently results in overregulation and access barriers. The article concludes that in respect to justice, it is important to recognize that abortion services need to be safe, legal, and accessible.