right to bodily autonomy

In 2016, the Supreme Court ordered the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) to observe the basic requirements of due process in the testing, evaluation, and approval of contraceptive drugs and devices, and to determine whether the contraceptives Implanon and Implanon NXT are abortifacients or non-abortifacients. A drug or device is an abortifacient if it is proven to primarily induce abortion, destroy a fetus inside the womb, or prevent the implantation of a fertilized ovum.

In Anonymous v. Anonymous, 469 So. 2d 588 (Ala. 1985), the Supreme Court of Alabama addressed whether parents could obtain court authorization to sterilize their minor daughter, who was fourteen years old and had significant intellectual disabilities. The parents argued that sterilization was necessary to prevent pregnancy, which they believed would endanger her health and well-being.

Ministerial Order No. 002/MoH/2019 of April 8, 2019 determining the conditions under which a physician may perform an abortion, Rwanda, entered into force on April 8, 2019

Ministerial Order No. 002/MoH/2019, enacted under Law No. 68/2018, sets the conditions under which a physician may perform an abortion. Abortion is permitted in the following circumstances:

This report highlights the global resurgence of challenges to women’s and LGBTQI+ rights, documenting instances where progress toward gender equality is being undermined.

Baek, Chung-Ah; Chopra, Deepta; Edström, Jerker; Lewin, Tessa; Metcalfe, Steve; Mushtaq, Samreen; et al. (2024). Building Solidarities: Gender Justice in a Time of Backlash. The Institute of Development Studies and Partner Organisations. Report. https://doi.org/10.19088/IDS.2024.041 
 

State legal proceedings were initiated against Burton in order to compel her to undergo medical confinement and treatment against her wishes, for the benefit of her unborn fetus.These proceedings were initiated against Burton on a finding that she had ignored her physician’s recommendations, creating a high-risk pregnancy that could have potentially resulted in the loss of her pregnancy. 

The ACLU filed a petition representing Kentucky abortion providers challenging the constitutionality of a state law banning physicians from providing abortions through dilation and evacuation (“D and E”) method. The Court of Appeals of the Sixth Circuit held that the ban unconstitutionally burdened the right to abortion. After the decision, Kentucky’s Attorney General moved to intervene, which the Sixth Circuit refused. The Supreme Court decided that the Attorney General should have been allowed to intervene as a non-party.

In Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany v. Serio, 7 N.Y.3d 510 (2006), a group of religiously affiliated organizations challenged a New York statute that required health insurance plans covering prescription drugs to include contraceptive coverage under the Women’s Health and Wellness Act (NY Insurance Law § 3221(16) and § 4303(cc)).

Parts IV, V, VI, and VIII of the Children Act of Trinidad and Tobago address child protection from sexual abuse, exploitation, and harmful practices. The law prohibits sexual offences against children, including child prostitution, sexual penetration, and child pornography. Causing or encouraging a child to engage in such acts can result in life imprisonment. Possession or creation of child pornography carries a sentence of up to 20 years. The Act also prohibits female genital mutilation (FGM). This includes any cutting or removal of parts of a child’s genitalia.

Chiles v. Salazar, 607 U.S. 627 (2026) is a U.S. Supreme Court case regarding a Colorado state ban on conversion therapy. Specifically, Colo. Rev. Stat.

Health insurance carriers are barred from discriminating against individuals based on gender identity or transgender status in the provision of health coverage. Health plans must cover services without imposing restrictions, additional costs, or exclusions that treat transgender individuals differently from others. Carriers are required to treat covered persons consistent with their gender identity and may not deny coverage for health services ordinarily available to one sex simply because an individual’s gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth.