Defending Human Rights: Recommendations
To State and Local Governments
Lawmakers
- Adopt resolutions recognizing reproductive healthcare workers, including abortion providers, as human rights defenders
- Adopt resolutions recognizing that access to a full range of reproductive health services, including abortion, is a human right
- Pass laws and ordinances protecting clinic access and ensuring the safety of abortion providers and patients, such as buffer zones, noise and signage restrictions, and residential picketing prohibitions
- Repeal mandatory delay and biased counseling laws
- Repeal TRAP laws and regulate abortion providers in the same manner as other medical care providers
Police
- Enforce court orders granting injunctive relief or other protections to abortion providers
- Cooperate with federal agents on alleged FACE violations
- Enforce local laws and ordinances to protect abortion providers from intimidation and harassment, including harassment, stalking, trespass, signage, noise, and permit laws
- Ensure that officers are trained and have supervisory support to enforce ordinances and laws protecting abortion providers
To the U.S. Government
- Recognize the special role of human rights defenders, including reproductive health workers who provide abortions, in ensuring reproductive rights as human rights >, Implement national laws and guidelines reflecting international obligations to protect human rights defenders
- Repeal federal funding restrictions on abortion, including the Hyde Amendment
Department of Justice
- Devote additional resources to provide training for and improve cooperation between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in responding to violence and threats of violence directed at abortion providers
- Devote additional resources to enforcing the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act and related federal statutes
To United Nations Special Rapporteurs
- Speak out against violations of reproductive rights as fundamental human rights violations
- Promote respect for reproductive rights defenders by highlighting the importance of their work globally, including in the U.S.
- Issue communications to the U.S. government concerning individual defenders of reproductive rights, particularly U.S. abortion providers who face persecution or heightened risk because of their work as defenders >, Follow up with the U.S. government to ensure that mechanisms are designed and implemented to address root problems of gender discrimination and the stigma surrounding abortion and to ensure that defenders who are harmed receive appropriate remedies
To the Medical Community
- Support and create measures to increase the number of physicians performing abortions, including by teaching abortion in medical school curricula, clinic rotations, and residency programs
- Advocate the repeal of laws restricting abortion, such as mandatory delay and biased counseling laws and TRAP laws
- Adopt resolutions supporting abortion providers and condemning the stigmatization of abortion and violence and harassment of health workers providing abortion
To Non-Governmental Organizations
- Educate the public and policymakers on access to reproductive healthcare as a human right and abortion services as an integral part of women’s healthcare
- Support abortion providers in order to reduce stigma and secure the safety of clinic staff and women seeking abortion services, including by assisting with the recruitment of clinic escorts and other volunteers and the documentation of evidence of potential legal and human rights violations
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