Katzive, Laura

This article discusses how the legal status of induced abortion helps determine the availability of safe, affordable abortion services in a country, which in turn influences rates of maternal mortality and morbidity. It aims to inform people of both the current status of abortion laws worldwide and the extent to which those laws are changing. The article reviews abortion-related laws in 152 nations and dependent territories and documents the changes in laws since 1985.

This presentation discusses current efforts to develop and enforce a human rights norm with regards to preventable maternal death. The author begins by presenting statistical data regarding pregnancy-related deaths, which shows that rates vary starkly with the wealth of the country. Wealthy countries are no longer as vulnerable to pregnancy-related deaths as poor countries, which indicates that dying during pregnancy is preventable. The author argues that the continuation of high maternal death rates is due to a failure of government will. The author calls for the