title: Procedural abortion rights: Ireland and the European Court of Human Rights.
abstract: The Irish Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act seeks to clarify the legal ground for abortion in cases of risk to life, and to create procedures to regulate women's access to services under it. This article explores the new law as the outcome of an international human rights litigation strategy premised on state duties to implement abortion laws through clear standards and procedural safeguards. It focuses specifically on the Irish law reform and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights, including A. B. and C. v. Ireland (2010). The article examines how procedural rights at the international level can engender domestic law reform that limits or expands women's access to lawful abortion services, serving conservative or progressive ends.
authors.affiliation: MacBain Chair in Health Law and Policy, Assistant Professor, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Electronic address: joanna.erdman@dal.ca.
authors.forename: Joanna N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Erdman
mesh_terms: D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D002585:Cesarean Section; D003416:Criminal Law; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006806:Human Rights / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland; D011057:Politics; D011247:Pregnancy; D011902:Rape
keywords: Europe; abortion law and policy; human rights; legal reform; litigation