Center for Reproductive Rights

How the time flies! It is nearly impossible to believe that my time at the Center for Reproductive Rights has already come to a close. The ten weeks I spent working at the Center were absolutely invaluable, as I learned an unimaginable amount about a range of issues relating to reproductive rights and, more generally, international human rights.

The Center for Reproductive Rights’ summer program is organized with the goal of introducing interns to an array of issues. As an intern in the international legal division, I had the opportunity to work on projects addressing issues such as the importance of safe abortion, government accountability in relation to maternal mortality, and access to post-abortion care. I was also able to partake in projects in different regions throughout the world, although I am especially grateful that I was able to put my Spanish skills to work for numerous projects addressing issues in Latin America. Furthermore, I have been able to really delve into the international jurisprudence both at the United Nations level and within the Inter-American legal system.

One day this summer, all of the interns in the international legal program had the great pleasure of spending the day at the UN, watching a meeting between the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the government of Turkey. These meetings serve as a forum for the Committee to determine which parts of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women are being abided by, and which parts of the treaty the government needs to put forth more effort to implement. Generally, NGOs submit “shadow letters” to the different treaty monitoring bodies with information about potential human rights violations that the government may have neglected to inform the Committee about. Having spent a portion of my summer working tirelessly on a shadow letter, it was really meaningful for me to be able to see how these letters are used in practice. It was so interesting to be able to watch as international human rights law unfolded before our eyes. Observing as the members of the Committee inquired into the laws and practices of the Turkish government was truly a remarkable experience. I greatly look forward to reading the Committee’s Concluding Observations when they are issued.

The Center also had a series of weekly brown-bag lunches, wherein a staff member would discuss an issue related to reproductive rights. Each week someone from either the domestic or international legal program would host the lunch, which allowed interns from both departments to be exposed to issues that we may not have a chance to work on this summer. These lunches were extremely intriguing, and piqued my interest into areas that I never thought of exploring before. My favorite brown bag lunch discussed sexual abuse of Native American women on reservations, which delved into the different laws on reservations, the protections that are in place and how the current system is failing to protect women.

I, of course, cannot forget to mention how wonderful New York City is in the summer! Despite the suffocating heat wave, it is so amazing to be here when school is not in session and I actually have some free time to take advantage of all that New York has to offer – Broadway plays, museums, concerts, outdoor movies… I could go on forever! This summer has been absolutely wonderful, and I am so glad that I had the wonderful opportunity to spend it here in New York City at the Center for Reproductive Rights!