The Right to Abortion in International Human Rights Law

Fiona de Londras; Christina Zampas; Jaime Gher

The Right to Abortion in International Human Rights Law

Fiona de Londras^*
, Christina Zampas
, Jaime Gher

^*Corresponding author for this work

Birmingham Law School

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This article demonstrates that there is a right to abortion in international human rights law. Through systematic analysis of key documents from international human rights bodies, it establishes that international human rights law recognises that: (i) criminal regulation of abortion results in serious violations of human rights; (ii) making abortion available on request is the optimal approach to human rights compliant abortion regulation; (iii) states are obliged to remove barriers to abortion
access in law and in practice; and (iv) ensuring both broad individual and general remedies for denials of access is consistent with a right to abortion

Original language	English
Journal	Human Rights Quarterly
Publication status	Accepted/In press - 27 Jan 2026

Bibliographical note

Not yet published as of 16/02/2026. Expected publication date: November 2026.

Keywords

abortion
abortion law
Reproductive rights

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Philip Leverhulme Prize - Law
de Londras, F. (Principal Investigator)
Leverhulme Trust
1/11/18 → 31/10/27
Project: Research

Cite this

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title = "The Right to Abortion in International Human Rights Law",

abstract = "This article demonstrates that there is a right to abortion in international human rights law. Through systematic analysis of key documents from international human rights bodies, it establishes that international human rights law recognises that: (i) criminal regulation of abortion results in serious violations of human rights; (ii) making abortion available on request is the optimal approach to human rights compliant abortion regulation; (iii) states are obliged to remove barriers to abortion access in law and in practice; and (iv) ensuring both broad individual and general remedies for denials of access is consistent with a right to abortion",

keywords = "abortion, abortion law, Reproductive rights",

author = "\{de Londras\}, Fiona and Christina Zampas and Jaime Gher",

note = "Not yet published as of 16/02/2026. Expected publication date: November 2026.",

year = "2026",

month = jan,

day = "27",

language = "English",

journal = "Human Rights Quarterly",

issn = "0275-0392",

publisher = "Johns Hopkins University Press",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - The Right to Abortion in International Human Rights Law

AU - de Londras, Fiona

AU - Zampas, Christina

AU - Gher, Jaime

N1 - Not yet published as of 16/02/2026. Expected publication date: November 2026.

PY - 2026/1/27

Y1 - 2026/1/27

N2 - This article demonstrates that there is a right to abortion in international human rights law. Through systematic analysis of key documents from international human rights bodies, it establishes that international human rights law recognises that: (i) criminal regulation of abortion results in serious violations of human rights; (ii) making abortion available on request is the optimal approach to human rights compliant abortion regulation; (iii) states are obliged to remove barriers to abortion access in law and in practice; and (iv) ensuring both broad individual and general remedies for denials of access is consistent with a right to abortion

AB - This article demonstrates that there is a right to abortion in international human rights law. Through systematic analysis of key documents from international human rights bodies, it establishes that international human rights law recognises that: (i) criminal regulation of abortion results in serious violations of human rights; (ii) making abortion available on request is the optimal approach to human rights compliant abortion regulation; (iii) states are obliged to remove barriers to abortion access in law and in practice; and (iv) ensuring both broad individual and general remedies for denials of access is consistent with a right to abortion

KW - abortion

KW - abortion law

KW - Reproductive rights

UR - http://www.press.jhu.edu/journals/human-rights-quarterly

UR - https://www.crossref.org/

M3 - Article

SN - 0275-0392

JO - Human Rights Quarterly

JF - Human Rights Quarterly

ER -

The Right to Abortion in International Human Rights Law

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

Fingerprint

Projects

Philip Leverhulme Prize - Law

Cite this