Abortion and Reproductive Rights in Latin America: IMPLICATIONS FOR DEMOCRACY

MARCH 2015

FOREWORD

We are pleased to present this report on women’s reproductive rights in Latin America. In recent decades, women throughout the region have made tremen- dous strides towards securing equal rights in almost every sphere. Yet a number of challenges remain. Lack of access to reproductive health services, comprehen- sive sexuality education, and contraception prevent women from fully enjoying their rights as citizens.

Latin American countries have some of the most restrictive reproductive health laws and policies in the world, particularly with regard to abortion. In part this stems from not recognizing reproductive freedom as a fundamental human right. However, imposing legal restrictions on abortion does not reduce the likelihood that women will seek this reproductive health service. Instead, harsh laws com- pel women to risk their lives and health by seeking out unsafe abortions. In fact, Latin America has the highest proportional number of maternal deaths as a result of unsafe abortions in the world. An estimated 2,000 Latin American women die every year from unsafe abortions. To be sure, there has been increased pres- sure to liberalize abortion laws and align them with international human rights obligations. Still, some countries in the region have taken steps to criminalize abortion under all circumstances. Against this backdrop, on June 10, 2014, the Center for Reproductive Rights and the Inter-American Dialogue organized a symposium to focus the Wash- ington policy community’s attention on the state of reproductive rights in Latin America. We wanted to bring to light both the troubling consequences of restric- tive abortion laws and policies for the lives and human rights of Latin American women as well as the forces promoting more progressive laws in some countries. We also sought to explore the implications of this critical issue for democracy, social equity, and access to justice. The event featured discussion comparing abortion laws in four different countries, from the most restrictive to the most liberal—El Salvador, Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay. Chilean Congressman Vlado Mirosevic Verdugo and Morena Herrera, president of the Citizen’s Group for the Decriminalization of Therapeutic, Ethical and Eugenic Abortion in El Salvador, discussed the health and human rights consequences of total abortion bans in their respective countries. i Mexican political scientist Denise Dresser and Uruguayan vice Minister of Health Leonel Briozzo, a physician, assessed the effects of abortion liberalization on democracy and social equity in their countries. Harvard professor Jocelyn Viterna discussed how abortion bans not only neg- atively affect reproductive health, but also how they criminalize women seeking essential reproductive care. Advisor for Catholics for the Right to Decide’s Julian Cruzalta of Mexico, Chilean family law and international human rights attorney Macarena Sáez of American University’s Washington College of Law, and O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law Director Oscar Cabrera closed the symposium by analyzing the implications of liberalizing or tightening abortion bans on women’s civil rights and health. We very much hope this report, which contains rich analysis and thoughtful recommendations offered by symposium panelists and participants, will improve understanding of the crucial connections among reproductive rights, democracy, and citizenship in Latin America. We regard this report as part of a continuing effort to make sure the region’s governments adhere to international norms and standards as they relate to women’s rights.

Sincerely,

Nancy Northup Michael Shifter President & CEO President Center for Reproductive Rights Inter-American Dialogue

ii ABORTION AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS IN LATIN AMERICA: IMPLICATIONS FOR DEMOCRACY

ome Latin American states have failed to recognize reproductive rights as Shuman rights, leaving the region with some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world, according to experts who gathered to deliberate the implica- tions at an event organized by the Inter-American Dialogue and the Center for Reproductive Rights in Washington, DC.

The “Symposium on Reproductive Rights Inter-American Dialogue president in Latin America” brought together nearly Michael Shifter said restrictions on repro- 100 representatives from governments, ductive rights have raised “concerns about nonprofits, universities, human rights democracy, justice, and equal access in organizations, and church groups to dis- the region.” cuss the region’s laws and national policies “The ability to make decisions over governing access to contraception and our reproductive rights is essential,” added abortion. Panelists at the June 10, 2014 Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the symposium discussed how those laws Center for Reproductive Rights. She further impact public health, autonomy, and the argued that laws in many Latin American right to life and health of women, as well countries infringe on a number of human as why policies vary so dramatically from rights guarantees, including the right to country to country. privacy and the right to due process.

Michael Shifter 1 Nancy Northup El Salvador Morena Herrera, president of El Salvador’s Citizen Group for the Decriminalization of Therapeutic, Ethical and Eugenic Abortion and member of Feminist Collective (Agru- pación ciudadana por la despenalización del aborto terapéutico, ético y eugenésico, Colectiva Feminista), said that her coun- try’s 1998 ban on abortion stems from the penal code enacted after the Salvadoran civil war ended. Herrera argued that the law carries “enormous consequences for women’s health and … democracy,” as exemplified in the case of “Beatriz,” a 22-year old preg- Morena Herrera nant woman suffering from kidney disease and lupus. Her story drew international headlines in 2013 when El Salvador’s The State Of The Region Supreme Court ruled that she could not Within Latin America, only Cuba, Uru- have the abortion doctors believed neces- guay, and Mexico City allow abortion sary to save her life. without restriction as to reason in the In response to this ruling, the Inter- first twelve weeks of pregnancy. Other American Court of Human Rights, through countries in the region permit the pro- provisional measures, ordered El Salvador cedure only if the woman’s life is in dan- to protect Beatriz’s right to life, personal ger or, in some countries, if her physical integrity, and health, including mental or mental health is compromised, if she health. The Court ordered the State to is a victim of rape or incest, or in cases adopt all the necessary measures so that of fetal impairment. According to the doctors, without interference from the Guttmacher Institute, 95 percent of the authorities, could perform all necessary 4.4 million abortions performed in the medical treatment to protect Beatriz´s region in 2008 were unsafe. Every year, rights. Immediately following the Court’s one million women require hospital decision, Beatriz underwent an emergency treatment as a result of unsafe abortions. cesarean. She was five months pregnant, Unsafe abortion accounts for 12 percent and the premature baby did not survive. of maternal deaths in the region.1 Herrera noted that an investigation The symposium opened with a conducted by her organization and the panel that reviewed the cases of El Center for Reproductive Rights found that Salvador and Chile, countries that ban El Salvador’s ban on abortion most seri- abortion in all circumstances. ously affects young, poor, and uneducated women. Moreover, she added, her orga- nization has documented the cases of 40

1 Guttmacher Institute, Facts on Abortion in Latin America and the Caribbean, In Brief, January 2012, 2 http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/IB_AWW-Latin-America.pdf. teenagers who have faced abortion-related criminal charges. “In the last eight years, at least 70 women have committed suicide because they were pregnant, most of them adolescents,” Herrera noted. She added that fourteen other women who died from ectopic pregnancies or other medical complications “might have survived if the pregnancy had been interrupted.” There are no reliable statistics on abor- tions in El Salvador because of the illegality of the procedure, but Herrera stated that PAHO (Pan-American Health Organiza- tion) estimates approximately 35,000 Vlado Mirosevic clandestine procedures take place in the Verdugo country annually. El Salvador distinguishes itself from its neighbors by the extraordinarily harsh accusations begin in public hospitals, and criminal penalties it levies in abortion- evidence is often unscientific or speculative. related cases. Under the current law, in Herrera underscored that the criminal- place since 1998, the punishment for an ization of abortion equates to social injus- individual who performs an abortion with tice, as it is clearly geared towards the most a pregnant woman’s consent, or for a self- vulnerable women. The cases of Manuela2 induced abortion, is up to eight years in and Beatriz are examples of a systematic pat- prison. Rather than using that law, however, tern of state prosecution of women. Salvadoran authorities frequently pros- ecute women for aggravated assault, and Chile even homicide, a crime that has incurred Chilean Congressman Vlado Mirosevic sentences of up to 40 years of prison. Verdugo, from the Liberal Party, predicted At the time of the symposium, at least that public pressure will force a loosening nineteen Salvadoran women were serving of the anti-abortion law in his country. prison sentences of 30 to 40 years on abor- He explained that therapeutic abor- tion-related charges. Some of these women tion—to save the life of a pregnant suffered miscarriages and did not intention- woman—was legal in Chile from 1931 ally terminate their pregnancies, but did until 1989, when the Pinochet regime not have access to the forensic resources altered the constitution. The Catholic to prove it. Church clearly influenced provisions of the Herrera explained that hospital emplo- new constitution. “They not only withdrew yees, including non-medical personnel, the therapeutic abortion exception, they are under pressure to report suspected penalized the procedure—for both doctors abortions to the authorities to avoid being and pregnant women, even if the woman’s charged as accomplices. Half of all abortion life is in danger,” Mirosevic said.

2 For a description of the Manuela case, please see paragraph 4 under “A broader view on the region” on page 4. 3 A Broader View On The Region “My country changed, but the political Lilian Sepúlveda, director of the Global Legal Program at the Center for Reproduc- class—and the law—didn’t. The legislation is tive Rights, served as commentator during the first symposium panel. She asserted always very far behind the public’s desires.” that proponents of social justice and —Vlado Mirosevic Verdugo, democracy in Latin America have failed to Congress of Chile be sufficiently forceful when making the case against restrictive abortion laws. Sepúlveda also provided background about the devastating human rights and Subsequent democratic governments public health effects that absolute bans in Chile took no steps to address the issue, on abortion have had in the region. Later, and an estimated 60,000 to 70,0003 clan- when commenting on the speakers’ pre- destine abortions now take place in the sentations, Sepúlveda highlighted the country annually. important role that litigation and advocacy Mirosevic characterized Chile’s abor- concerning human rights have played in tion ban as part of a larger “violation of advancing reproductive rights. human rights that is supported by legisla- Herrera stated that media cover- tion that openly interferes with personal age in El Salvador is disproportionately freedom.” He noted that divorce has been anti-abortion. Salvadoran Catholics who legal in his country for only a decade, and favor legalizing abortion lack the clout that both civil unions for gay couples4 and to effect change, and legislators fear the euthanasia remain illegal. Mirosevic added: backlash that could result from legalizing “There are thousands of people march- abortion. Although Beatriz’s case sparked ing to liberalize laws. And there has been debate in schools, hospitals, clinics, and a new agenda on reproductive rights and on the street, Herrera argued, it also pro- individual freedoms put forward.” voked strong pushback from the Catholic Similar to their counterparts in Uru- Church, which used its Sunday sermons to guay, many Chileans now frame the repro- condemn pro-choice advocates. ductive rights issue in their country as a Herrera also referenced the case of public health concern rather than a moral- Manuela v. El Salvador, which she filed along ity issue, Mirosevic noted. Furthermore, with the Center before the Inter-American the recent election weakened the conserva- Commission on Human Rights. Manuela tive bloc so that it no longer has the num- was a 33-year-old Salvadoran mother of ber of votes necessary to veto legislation. two who was convicted of murder and sen- “[President] Michelle Bachelet has said she tenced to 30 years in prison after suffering will legalize abortion under three circum- severe complications giving birth. She was stances: when there is a threat to a woman’s sentenced without ever having a chance to life, when the pregnancy is not viable, and meet with her lawyer, without an oppor- in the case of rape,” the lawmaker said. tunity to speak in her own defense, and “Legislation will be introduced this year without the right to appeal the decision. and there seems to be a majority in favor.”

3 A resolution from the United Nations Human Rights Committee, published on July 24, 2014, estimated about 150,000 abortions a year. 4 4 On January 28, 2015, Chile’s legislature approved the Acuerdo de Unión Civil (AUC), a bill allowing civil unions for same-sex couples. Though not signed as of publication, President Bachelet promised to pass the AUC during her latest presidential campaign. While in prison, Manuela was diagnosed with advanced Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a condition which could have been caught earlier had the medical personnel treating her during her obstetric emergency noticed the condition. She died in prison less than one year after her miscarriage. Herrera explained that Manuela is representative of the Salvadoran woman who is most likely to be a victim of the criminalization of abortion: she lived in a rural area, had no formal education, and was unable to access adequate healthcare. Herrera characterized Manuela’s story as one example of El Sal- vador’s widespread institutional violence Denise Dresser against women. In Chile, Mirosevic explained, the public, not the legislature, is pushing for highest in the world, pro-choice forces change. “My country changed, but the successfully reframed the debate as one political class—and the law—didn’t. The of health, not morality. legislation is always very far behind the “This was not a political theme. public’s desires.” Advocates tried to move away from an ‘abortion: yes or no’ theme to a Trending Toward focus on who decides about abortion,” Greater Freedom Dresser said. “Feminists began to link If Chile eases restrictions on abortion, it with other sectors of society and they will follow a path similar to other coun- earned great symbolic capital.” Abortion tries and jurisdictions in Latin America. advocates also drummed up support Acknowledging the emergence of new from well-known Mexicans, including efforts to lift or loosen restrictions on author Octavio Paz. The historically reproductive rights, the symposium’s close 2006 presidential election, mean- second panel discussed two places while, afforded women’s votes greater where lawmakers have liberalized such significance. laws: Mexico City and Uruguay. Mexico City lawmakers supporting Since 2007, first trimester abortion a woman’s right to choose voted in a has been legal in Mexico City, although coalition so that opponents would not the procedure remains illegal else- blame their political parties. Constant where in the country. Denise Dresser, media coverage also helped the reform- a professor at the Instituto Tecnológico ers, said Dresser, who writes a column Autónomo de México, said the shift for Reforma newspaper. resulted from a “more liberal and toler- Although the strategy proved suc- ant” atmosphere in Mexico City coupled cessful, the Catholic Church and com- with pro-choice activists and lawmakers munities outside Mexico City pushed engaging in new strategies. back. Some states responded by enact- In light of Mexico’s maternal mor- ing abortion laws that are stricter tality rate, which ranked among the than before. 5 “These women died as a result of illegal abortions. They died because “In the world, Uruguay has one of the lowest they were outside the health system. abortion rates. If you are really against They died due to poverty, and they died because they had low levels of educa- abortion, you need to fight against the tion,” he asserted. criminalization of it.” Moreover, Briozzo argued, the most effective approach to decriminalizing —Leonel Briozzo, abortion and ensuring women their Ministry of Health of Uruguay reproductive rights is to frame these concepts within the context of the right to health. “The health covenant includes “They started to punish women the right to health,” he explained. “We where they hadn’t punished them need to look at abortion from a public before,” Dresser explained. “The coun- health perspective.” terattack wasn’t because the women In 2007, Uruguay reformed its exercised their rights but because they health care system and became the sought the right to exercise their rights.” first Latin American country to offer a Women with economic resources comprehensive and equal health care can still travel to Mexico City to termi- plan for the entire population. The nate pregnancies, but poor and indig- plan explicitly describes the medical enous women are disproportionately services guaranteed to Uruguayans. denied access, increasing the likelihood Briozzo emphasized that the Uruguayan that they will undergo unregulated, government provides easily accessible unsafe abortions. information and counseling around family planning, with the ultimate goal “We are an incomplete democracy of reducing the number of abortions. for many women,” Dresser said. “We want to build a real republic where “In the world, Uruguay has one men have their rights and nothing of the lowest abortion rates,” Briozzo more, and women have their rights and said. “If you are really against abortion, nothing less.” you need to fight against the criminal- ization of it.” Uruguay’s Deputy Health Minister Leonel Briozzo noted that the decrimi- Since the law was liberalized in nalization of abortion in his country 2012, Uruguay now has the third-lowest coincided with progressive policies on maternal death rate in the Americas other social issues. The abortion debate, after Canada and the United States. he said, shifted from focusing on wom- Following the change in law, 6,676 en’s rights and the rights of the fetus to abortions were performed; no women emphasizing public health. died as a result of the procedure, and only two experienced complications. “Maternal mortality worldwide was Nine out of ten Uruguayan women who 13 percent, in Latin America it was 21 undergo medical abortions terminate percent, and in Uruguay it was 29 per- their pregnancies through the use of cent,” Briozzo said. “Or, if you looked just self-administered pharmaceutical drugs at public hospitals, it was 48 percent.” such as misoprostol. 6 Briozzo emphasized that authorities wealthy.” She pointed to its many con- have referred to the new law as “pro-life” nections and activities, including its because it both saves women’s lives and presence on news shows, as examples. benefits the children whose mothers Symposium participants also com- are no longer forced to undergo risky mented that the arguments that have illegal abortions. “The model [for the historically driven pro-choice efforts law] acknowledges that a woman has have shifted to reflect scientific and autonomy to make the best decisions technological advances around pregnan- about her life,” Briozzo added. cies. Religious organizations have expe- Jocelyn Viterna, associate professor rienced waning influence. Pro-choice of sociology and of social studies at Har- Catholics have become more outspoken vard University, moderated the second and evangelical churches’ footprints in panel, and argued that several factors the region have grown. have influenced how different coun- tries and populations in the region view Strategies For The Future abortion. In particular, she cited ideol- The symposium concluded with a panel ogy and the influence of the Catholic discussion titled “Liberalization of abor- Church and various organizations. Most tion laws and abortion bans in Latin significantly, the anti-choice movement America: Perspectives on the implications effectively capitalized on these factors, for democracy, social equity, and health” Viterna asserted. facilitated by Michael Shifter, president of “We need to take a lesson from the the Inter-American Dialogue. anti-choice movement,” Viterna con- The panelists included Julián tended. “The anti-choice movement Cruzalta, advisor for Catholics for the is tightly transnational, powerful, and Right to Decide in Mexico; Macarena

Nearly 100 people attended the half- day symposium in 7 Washington, DC. Julián Cruzalta Oscar Cabrera

Sáez, a fellow at the International Legal tradition around the concept of “per- Studies Program and faculty director sonal choice.” Given these circumstances, of Washington College of Law’s Impact Cruzalta asserted that abortion is an act Litigation Project at American University; of conscience. and Oscar Cabrera, executive director For Sáez, anti-abortion laws illustrate of the O’Neill Institute for National and “one more trend toward restricting wom- Global Health Law at Georgetown Univer- en’s rights in the public sphere.” She argued sity Law Center. that, just as women did not gain the right Cruzalta began the discussion by not- to vote in many Latin American countries ing how governments in the region, despite until the second half of the 20th century, legal separation between church and state, citizenship—and all that goes with it—has have allowed the Catholic Church to exert not yet been granted equally to women in its influence over reproductive freedom. the region. However, the increasing presence of other “Women have struggled to participate religions has somewhat diluted the Catholic in democracy,” Sáez said. “The right to Church’s clout in the region, he conceded. vote is not the full definition of democracy. Cruzalta also discussed canon law, There are more complex rights that have to the body of laws governing the Catholic do with due process. Abortion rights have Church, and the often-repeated fear among something to do with this.” Catholics that the church automatically Noting Uruguay’s recent health care excommunicates those who have abortions reform, Cabrera argued that the country’s or support legal abortions. In addition, approach better ensures both healthcare noting that canon law can change, and has for vulnerable populations and the pro- changed historically, Cruzalta contended tection of reproductive rights in the long that the Catholic Church has had a long term. “Once you have achieved a right, it is

8 hard to take it away. How can we use this to The lack of statistical data prevents the prevent governments from going back and state from understanding the real dimen- making reforms?” Cabrera said. sions and far-reaching implications of the “If you have a policy to decriminalize criminalization of abortion, including how abortion, you need to think about how to it affects the exercise of women’s human protect it afterward,” he added. rights, while also preventing the govern- ment from adopting critical public health As moderator of the panel, Shifter measures, placing women’s health and lives noted that human rights have been at the at even greater risk. core of the Dialogue’s agenda for the last 30 years. The Inter-American Dialogue Chilean lawmakers are pushing for leg- has played an active role informing the islation that protects personal freedoms, discussion around women’s issues in Latin while the general public favors changing America, but the symposium was the orga- the obsolete laws regarding abortion and nization’s first event focused exclusively on enacting laws that protect women’s health reproductive rights. and rights. “There’s a lot to learn. There’s a lot The liberalization of Uruguay’s abortion to talk about,” he said. “This issue is only legislation directly resulted in the dra- going to become more and more relevant.” matic reduction of the country’s maternal “The challenge is to figure out where mortality rates. we go from here.” Access to safe and legal abortion, along with access to contraception, emergency con- Conclusions: traception, and scientific and comprehensive The conclusions set forth here gather sexual education, is an essential component the most important highlights of the of an effective public health policy. discussion that took place during the symposium, and were topics addressed The right to health, as understood by by either the moderators or the panelists human rights law, includes reproductive during their interventions: rights and compels states to comply with such standards. The criminalization of abortion not only violates human rights but also dis- For women to exercise their rights and proportionately affects women of the most full citizenship, they must be able to freely vulnerable groups in society. exercise their reproductive rights.

9 PANELIST PROFILES

Leonel Briozzo, MD (Uruguay) is the deputy minister of Nancy Northup is president and CEO of the Center for health of Uruguay and founder of Iniciativas Sanitarias, Reproductive Rights. Northup joined the Center in 2003 an organization of health professionals who specialize in with experience as a constitutional litigator, federal pros- sexual and reproductive health, which he led from 2001 ecutor, and women’s rights advocate. She was found- to 2010. Briozzo served as president of the Fourth Latin ing director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan American and First Uruguayan Sexual and Reproductive Center for Justice at NYU School of Law. From 1989 to Health and Rights Congresses. 1996, Northup served as a prosecutor and deputy chief of appeals in the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern Oscar Cabrera (Venezuela) is the executive director of District of New York. the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law and a visiting professor of law at Georgetown University Macarena Saez (Chile) is a fellow in the International Legal Law Center. Cabrera worked on projects involving inter- Studies Program and teaches at American University’s national health law with the World Health Organization, Washington College of Law in the areas of family law, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and comparative law, and international human rights. She is Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. a member of the Executive Committee of the Network of Latin American Scholars on Gender, Sexuality, and Legal Julián Cruzalta (Mexico) is a member of the pro-choice Education (ALAS). Saez was a faculty member at the movement within the Catholic Church. He is a chaplain University of Chile Law School. for Catholics for the Right to Decide, the Latin America partner of Catholics for Choice. Cruzalta speaks interna- Michael Shifter is president of the Inter-American tionally on the role of the state with respect to sexual and Dialogue and adjunct professor of Latin American poli- reproductive rights issues in Latin America. tics at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. Shifter directed the Latin American and Caribbean pro- Denise Dresser (Mexico) is a political science professor gram at the National Endowment for Democracy and the at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) Ford Foundation’s governance and human rights program and columnist for the Mexican periodical Reforma. She in the Andean region and Southern Cone. He also served received the National Journalism Prize in May 2010. Her as a representative at the Inter-American Foundation for two volume work, Screams and Whispers, tells the personal the Brazil program. stories of a diverse array of Mexican women. Lilian Sepulveda (Chile) has served as director of the Morena Herrera (El Salvador) is president of Citizen Global Legal Program at the Center for Reproductive Group for the Decriminalization of Therapeutic, Ethical Rights since 2012. Before that, she was legal fellow and and Eugenic Abortion, Feminist Collective. In 1990, she deputy director. Sepulveda has directly litigated two founded Las Dignas, a feminist non-governmental orga- landmark cases and coordinated overall litigation for the nization that provides legal, educational, and emotional Center’s Latin American and Caribbean regional team. support to local women in need. Jocelyn Viterna (United States) is associate professor of Vlado Mirosevic Verdugo (Chile) is a national deputy Sociology at Harvard University, a position she has held in the Congress of Chile and president of the Liberal since 2007. Previously, Viterna was assistant professor at Party. Mirosevic was director of the digital newspaper El Tulane University. Viterna’s research focuses on the state- Morrocotudo. As a student, he led the Arica and Parinacota civil society relationship in countries undergoing political Secondary School Students Federation. He supports transitions; democratization and women’s legislative rep- efforts in the Chilean Congress to decriminalize abortion resentation in developing countries; and gender and class in certain cases. in Latin America. 10

The Center’s Mission About The Dialogue The Center for Reproductive Rights uses the law to The Inter-American Dialogue engages its network advance reproductive freedom as a fundamental human of global leaders to foster democratic governance, right that all governments are legally obligated to protect, prosperity, and social equity in Latin America and the respect, and fulfill. Caribbean. Together we work to shape policy debate, devise solutions, and enhance cooperation within the Western Hemisphere. The Center’s Vision The Dialogue’s select membership of 100 distinguished Reproductive freedom lies at the heart of the promise citizens from throughout the Americas includes political, of human dignity, self-determination, and equality business, academic, media, and other nongovernmental embodied in both the U.S. Constitution and the Universal leaders. Sixteen Dialogue members served as presidents Declaration of Human Rights. We envision a world where of their countries and more than three dozen have served every woman is free to decide whether and when to have at the cabinet level. children; where every woman has access to the best health care available; and where every woman can exercise her Dialogue activities are directed to generating new policy choices without coercion or discrimination. More simply ideas and practical proposals for action, and getting put, we envision a world where every woman participates these ideas and proposals to government and private with full dignity as an equal member of society. decision makers. www.reproductiverights.org www.thedialogue.org