Events and Projects
Events/Projects for 2007-2008:
In furtherance of HLS for Choice's goal to raise campus awareness of the political and legal climate of women's reproductive rights, we plan to sponsor panels, speaker events, and community outreach activities during the 2007-2008 school year. Possible events include:
- An event examining the impact of the Gonzales v. Carhart decision on the legal and medical aspects of reproductive health.
- A fundraiser for a reproductive health clinic serving patients in need of financial assistance.
- Working to give HLS students insurance coverage for the HPV vaccine.
- Co-sponsorship of a wide variety of events with other progressive organizations on campus.
- Recreation of our successful petition drive against the University Health Services abortion refund policy.
- Sending delegates to this year's regional and national Law Students for Choice Conferences.
- Training students to escort at local reproductive health clinics.
- Working with local choice organizations to provide legal research support.
Events/Projects for 2006-2007:
In furtherance of HLS for Choice's goal to raise campus awareness of the political and legal climate of women's reproductive rights, we plan to sponsor panels, speaker events, and community outreach activities during the 2006-2007 school year. Possible events include:
- A talk by Yale Law School Professor (and visiting HLS Professor) Riva Siegel on defending reproductive rights as the political and legal terrain shifts.
- An event exploring the political and cultural implications of attempts by Native American tribes to support or ban abortion on reservations.
- A talk by Wayne Goldner, the last abortion provider in New Hampshire.
- A debate about whether Roe v. Wade was rightly decided.
- An event focusing on international reproductive rights and why men should be involved in the global fight for reproductive justice.
- Co-sponsorship of a wide variety of events with other progressive organizations on campus.
- Recreation of our successful petition drive against the University Health Services abortion refund policy.
- Sending delegates to this year's regional and national Law Students for Choice Conferences.
- Training students to escort at local reproductive health clinics.
- Working with local choice organizations to provide legal research support.
Past Events/Projects: 2003-2006
- Hosted the First National Law Students for Choice conference, February 5-6, 2005. One hundred and fifty students from 15 different law schools across the country attended the two-day event. For more information on the conference, please visit Law Students for Choice.
- Organized a panel discussion with the American Constitutional Society and the HLS Democrats entitled "Religion, Morality and Choice: The Intersection between Values and Reproductive Rights" in March 2005.
- Sponsored a speaker on the future of abortion and the Democratic Party on a panel at the HLS Democrats Conference in April 2005.
- HLS for Choice members wrote an amicus brief for a case challenging abortion laws in a Latin American country.
- Research and legal memo writing for Abortion Access Project, a local non-profit, on Massachusetts hospital policies and procedures for abortion service referrals.
- Brown bag lunch discussion on how to get internships at reproductive rights organizations.
- HLS for Choice members went to Philadelphia during the election to campaign and do voter protection work.
- Educational response campaign to University Health Services abortion refund policy. HLS for Choice conducted a petition drive on campus to collect signatures of students opposed to the University Health Services policy of refunding the portion of student mandatory health fees that go to fund non-medically-necessary abortions.
- Organized an event on the so-called "partial birth abortion" ban issue.
- A panel discussion on "The Litmus Test Approach: Judicial Nominations and a Woman's Right to Choose." Panelists included the Honorable Nancy Gertner, U.S. District Court Judge in Massachusetts and Kate Michelman, President of NARAL Pro-Choice America.
- Maintained an educational presence on campus with postering and tabling campaigns and distribution of our brochure on the reproductive health services available through our student health plan.
- Organized a trip to Washington, D.C., for the April 25, 2004, March for Women's Lives, which was the largest pro-choice march on Washington in history. Over 50 HLS students joined another 100 Harvard Students and over one million marchers.
- Organized a panel on Supreme Court advocacy and arranged for ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project attorney Jen Dalven, who argued Ayotte, to be available for individual career counseling.
- Screened Jennifer Baumgardner’s film “I Had An Abortion” and brought Jennifer to speak at the event.
- Held brownbag lunches on international reproductive rights.
- Co-organized screening of Born into Brothels to highlight sexual trafficking and brought filmmaker Ross Kauffman to speak at the event.
- Tested local pharmacies’ willingness to dispense emergency contraception.
- Created internship networking guide to connect past and present HLS students interested in interning or working in reproductive rights.