On 16 October, leading scholars in the USA, Ireland, and the UK met at Maynooth University to discuss the latest developments on reproductive privacy. The event was hosted by Research Centre for Technology Law and Policy and the School of Law and Criminology, and organised by Professor Edward (Ted) Dove.
Professor Sonia Suter, the Henry St. George Tucker III Dean's Research Professor of Law at the George Washington University (Washington DC, USA), gave a brilliant keynote address looking at the impact of the 2022 US Supreme Court decision of Dobbs v Jackson Woman’s Health Organization and potential implications of the upcoming US Presidential and Congressional elections in November 2024. Over the course of the afternoon, additional outstanding presentations were made by Professor Aisling McMahon (Maynooth University); Dr Andrea Mulligan (Trinity College Dublin); Dr Katherine Nolan (Ulster University); Dr Anna Pathé-Smith (Open University); and Dr Catriona McMillan (University of Edinburgh).
In each of their presentations, the speakers remarked on recent judicial and legislative developments, which in some jurisdictions has led to increased risk of women having their reproductive choices curtailed, eliminated, and subjected to enhanced public scrutiny. Concern was expressed about recent judicial decisions, laws, and efforts undertaken by various actors that limit access to essential healthcare services and impose barriers that endanger lives and compromise well-being. Alongside this discussion, the speakers suggested various avenues for progressive reform and several ways in which the law can be invoked (alongside grassroots community efforts) to protect and promote reproductive privacy.
