Annotation:
This document provides a comprehensive
toolkit to understand how states can
protect the value of prenatal life while
respecting womens fundamental rights. The
toolkit sets out international and
comparative legal standards for
interpreting right to life protections,
including the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women (CEDAW), and the European
Convention on Human Rights. The toolkit
also identifies how relevant human rights,
public health, and scientific evidence
support legal protections to guarantee
women's rights. In the report, the Centre
identifies this support as a crucial step
in protecting the right to life and
ensuring the health and well-being of
women and their children. Through
illustrative case studies, the Centre
argues that, where States protect a right
to life before birth without regard for
women's rights, inconsistencies in law
arise that jeopardize women's fundamental
rights while doing little to protect
prenatal life or existing children.