Symposium: Safeguarding Abortion Rights - Dutch Law in Context
Date: 18-09-2025Time: 10 am - 6 pmLocation: Utrecht
Abortion rights are under increasing threat worldwide. What is the
legal situation in the Netherlands?What are the obligations of states
under the UN Women’s Convention? And how can we protect access to safe
and legal abortion now—and in the future?
Join this one-day symposium organised by the Dutch CEDAW Network, in cooperation with the Association for Women and Law Clara Wichmann and Bureau Clara Wichmann, bringing together international experts and Dutch voices in law and policy.
Keynote speaker:
- Genoveva
Tisheva, Vice-Chair of the UN CEDAW Committee and rapporteur of the
Committee’s inquiry into Poland’s abortion law. This landmark report
centres women’s right to reproductive autonomy and recognises the
far-reaching harm caused by Poland’s legal restrictions on abortion.
Other speakers include:
- Karolina
Kocemba, Marie Curie Fellow at Erasmus University, who will talk about
the battle for abortion rights in Poland and resisting right-wing legal
mobilisation.
- Fleur van Leeuwen, legal scholar at Utrecht
University, who will critically assess Dutch abortion law, highlighting
existing barriers in the Abortion Act (Wet Afbreking Zwangerschap) and
the need for reform in light of international human rights law, in
particular the UN Women’s Convention.
- Bureau Clara Wichmann,
presenting new research on how the right to safe and legal abortion can
be firmly anchored in Dutch legislation.
More speakers and the full programme will be announced soon
here.
RSVP through the online contact form mentioning Symposium Abortion:
here.
The symposium will take place in English.
Lunch will be provided and the event will be concluded with networking drinks together.
