Copy of of Ms. Magazine issue that features a rememberance of GJC founder Janet Benshoof from Akila Radhakrishnan and Kristina Kallas.
Global Justice Center Blog
March News Update: Take Action This International Women's Day
From the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements to the #SheDecides Campaign, women are speaking up to demand equal rights and representation. It is up to us to make sure that this sea change creates permanent advances that positively impact women’s lives for generations to come.
On International Women’s Day,
#PressforProgress with the Global Justice Center.
Today on International Women’s Day, the Global Justice Center Presses Forward for New Rights for Women
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 8, 2018
[New York] – On International Women’s Day, the Global Justice Center stands with women and girls raped in conflict. As a direct result of the abortion restrictions the US puts on its foreign aid, including the Trump Administration’s expanded Gag Rule, women in conflict are regularly denied the medical care they are entitled to and need.
US Abortion Restrictions on Foreign Aid and Their Impact on Free Speech and Free Association
The United States (US) imposes restrictions on its foreign aid that limit both services and speech related to abortion. They attach to nearly all recipients of foreign aid—limiting the activities, speech, and information that can be legally provided by doctors, health professionals, experts and advocates. These restrictions violate the US’s fundamental human rights obligations to protect free speech and free association.
This brief explains the restrictions on free speech and association imposed by the US Congress (the Helms and Siljander Amendments) and by the executive branch (the Global Gag Rule [“Gag Rule” or “GGR”]). It then details the US’s human rights obligations to respect freedom of speech and association, focusing on obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The ICCPR only allows for the restriction of these rights in narrow circumstances: where the restriction is adequately provided by law, where it serves a legitimate aim (such as national security or public health), and where the state demonstrates that the restriction is necessary and proportionate in achieving that aim. This brief demonstrates that the Helms and Siljander Amendments and the GGR all fail that strict test, and therefore violate US obligations to ensure and protect the rights to free speech and association guaranteed under international human rights law.
On the Anniversary of “She Decides,” US Must Repeal its Anti-Abortion Restrictions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 2, 2018
[New York] – Today marks the one-year anniversary of the day when governments all over the world came together and created the She Decides initiative to combat the impact of the Trump administration’s expanded Global Gag Rule. She Decides has raised over $450 million to date to support women’s sexual health and reproductive rights, however estimates show that the Gag Rule may impact over $2.2 billion in funding per year.