Abortion Rights Defenders Shortlisted for European Parliament Prize for Freedom of Thought

In further recognition that reproductive rights and in particular abortion rights are human rights, members of the European Parliament shortlisted three Center partners working to advance safe and legal abortion for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought of 2023. This is the first time since the creation of the Prize in 1988 that abortion rights defenders are nominated and are among the finalists for the Prize, highlighting the crucial work of advocates around the world standing up for the rights of women and girls. 

The nominees are Justyna Wydrzyńska, a human rights defender from Poland who has been prosecuted and convicted under Poland’s near total ban on abortion for assisting with access to abortion; Morena Herrera, a leading social justice and human rights defender, advocating for safe and legal access to abortion for women and girls in El Salvador, a country where a total abortion ban prevails; and Colleen McNicholas, a U.S. obstetrician-gynecologist and reproductive health advocate. 

“Abortion rights activists like Justyna Wydrzyńska face some of the most daunting challenges in simply striving for abortion to be guaranteed as a human right. Their courageous work should be valued and supported,” said Katrine Thomasen, Associate Director for Europe for the Center for Reproductive Rights. “The shortlisting of Justyna Wydrzyńska from Poland, Morena Herrera from El Salvador, and Colleen McNicholas from the U.S for the prestigious Sakharov human rights prize is a very timely recognition of the tremendous struggles that still confront human rights defenders working for abortion rights around the world.”

The Sakharov Prize is considered the highest human rights recognition in the European Union, awarded to individuals and organizations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms. The winner will be announced October 19. 

The nomination of abortion rights defenders reflects the recognition of the importance of the efforts to advance abortion rights as human rights in many parts of the world. Human rights defenders working on sexual and reproductive rights, including specifically access to abortion, face heightened risks and threats, and the nomination of abortion rights activists from three continents is an important acknowledgment of these challenges.

“Women who advocate for reproductive rights often face threats, harassment, and even criminalization. Shortlisting for this prize courageous women like Justyna Wydrzyńska, Morena Herrera and Colleen McNicholas sends a strong message: abortion is not a crime, and defending access to safe and legal abortion, should not be either,” said Fernanda Vanegas, Associate Director of Advocacy and External Relations for Latin America and the Caribbean for the Center.

The Center supports the work of all abortion rights defenders around the world and expresses solidarity with our partners Justyna Wydrzyńska, Morena Herrera, and Colleen McNicholas.

Read more about the finalists:

Justyna Wydrzyńska | Wydrzyńska is one of four founders of the Abortion Dream Team, a civil society collective that offers evidence-based sexual and reproductive health care and information to people in Poland. In 2023, Wydrzyńska was convicted and sentenced to eight months of community service for assisting a woman with access to medication abortion in 2020. The case marked the first time in recent history in which an abortion rights defender in Europe has been prosecuted and convicted for assisting with access to abortion. The Center acted in solidarity with Wydrzyńska as her case progressed, including presenting an amicus to the court. Poland is one of only two European Union member states that do not allow abortion on request and has banned abortion in almost all circumstances. In practice abortion is almost impossible to access even in those restricted instances where it is legal—namely where a pregnancy results from rape or incest or when there is a risk to the pregnant woman’s life or health. In 2020, Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal removed a legal ground for abortion, making it the only EU member state in recent history to remove a ground for access to abortion from its law. Since then, at least seven women have died after being denied life-saving care during pregnancy.

Morena Herrera | Herrera is a leading feminist and human rights defender dedicated to the defense of the rights of women, girls, and LGBTQ+ individuals. She was the founder of the Colectiva Feminista para el desarollo local and since 2009, she has served as founder and President of the Agrupación Ciudadana por la Despenalización del Aborto in El Salvador, advocating for changes to one of the world’s most restrictive abortion laws and defending women who have been criminalized and condemned for obstetric emergencies. Thanks to this work, many women have regained their freedom and rebuilt their lives after decades of being deprived of it. Morena Herrera has played a major role in leading cases such as Beatriz v. El Salvador, currently before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. The Center has closely supported Morena and the Agrupación Ciudadana for over a decade in El Salvador, most notably as partners in the Manuela v. El Salvador case, in which the Inter-American Court of Human Rights established, for the first time, legal standards regarding the prohibition to criminalize women seeking reproductive health care, including abortion, and the obligation of health personnel to comply with medical secrecy and to provide comprehensive medical care, among others.

Colleen McNicholas | Dr. Colleen P. McNicholas is the Chief Medical Officer at Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri in St. Louis. She is a public health expert and strong advocate for patients who has testified before the U.S. Congress about the harmful impacts of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision taking away the constitutional right to abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. In that testimony, she stated, “When SCOTUS overturned Roe v. Wade, they effectively created two nations—one where those whose reproductive freedom belongs to themselves and those whose reproductive freedom belongs to a small group of politicians.” The Center has relied on Dr. McNicholas’ expert testimony in prior litigation, and regularly partners with Planned Parenthood on legal challenges in U.S. states including cases in Montana, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Arizona, and Alaska. 

Read our statement in Spanish>>

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