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18 GA res 2200A (XXI), adopted 16 December 1966 and entered into force 3 January 1976.

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35 Countries falling into this category are: Angola, Central African Republic, Congo (Brazzaville), Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda: Center for Reproductive Rights World's Abortion Laws Map 2013, available at: <http://www.womenonwaves.org/en/page/4541/abortion-laws-map-center-for-reproductive-rights> (last accessed 29 January 2014).

36 Law of 31 December 1986 of Cape Verde.

37 South African Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act 92 of 1996, as amended.

38 Tunisian Law No 65-25 of 1965, as amended.

39 Zambian Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1972.

40 Brookman-Amissah, E and Moyo, J “Abortion law reform in sub-Saharan Africa: No turning back” (2004) 12 Reproductive Health Matters 227CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Boland, R and Katzive, L “Developments in laws on induced abortion: 1998–2007” (2008) 34 International Family Law Planning Perspectives 110CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed at 115–16.

41 Center for Reproductive Rights World's Abortion Laws, above at note 35.

42 Maputo Protocol, above at note 25; Murray, RHuman Rights in Africa: From OAU to the African Union (2004, Cambridge University Press)CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Banda Women, Law and Human Rights, above at note 2 at 66–82; Viljoen, FInternational Human Rights Law in Africa (2nd ed, 2012, Oxford University Press)CrossRefGoogle Scholar at 50–59.

43 Banda, ibid; Viljoen ibid.

44 Ibid.

45 Ngwena “Inscribing abortion as a human right”, above at note 24.

46 Johnson, B et al. “Reducing unplanned pregnancy and abortion in Zimbabwe through postabortion contraception” (2002) 33 Studies in Family Planning 195CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed at 195.

47 Ethiopia, Ghana and Zambia are the main examples in this regard. Their guidelines are respectively: Family Health Department Technical and Procedural Guidelines for Safe Abortion Services in Ethiopia (2006, Family Health Department)Google Scholar; Republic of Ghana Prevention and Management of Unsafe Abortion: Comprehensive Care Services, Standards and Protocols (2006, Republic of Ghana)Google Scholar; and Ministry of Health Standards and Guidelines for Reducing Unsafe Morbidity and Mortality in Zambia (2009, Ministry of Health)Google Scholar.

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50 Id at 1.

51 Id at 28.

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57 Haroz, A “South Africa's 1996 Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act: Expanding choice and international human rights to black South African women” (1997) 30 Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law 863Google Scholar at 873–76.

58 The CTOPA, sec 2(1)(a)f.

59 Id, sec 2(1)(b)(iv).

60 Id, sec 5(3).

61 Id, sec 2(2) as amended by the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Amendment Act 1 of 2008.

62 Christian Lawyers' Association of South Africa v Minister of Health 1998 (4) SA 1113 (T), where the constitutional validity of CTOPA was upheld; Christian Lawyers' Association v National Minister of Health 2004 (10) BCLR 1086 (T), which upheld the constitutional validity of sec 5(3) of CTOPA which, inter alia, permits a minor, who has the capacity to give informed consent, to terminate a pregnancy without parental approval or consultation. See also: Doctors for Life International v The Speaker of Parliament and Others (2006) 12 BCLR 1399 (CC), where the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act 38 of 2004, which had been “passed” with a view to enhancing accessibility to abortion services, was successfully challenged as constitutionally invalid.

63 Ngwena “Conscientious objection and legal abortion”, above at note 52 at 4.

64 Ibid.

65 Engelbrecht, MC et al. “The operation of the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act: Some empirical findings” (2000) 23 Curationis 4CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed at 6.

66 Reproductive Health Alliance Public Hearings on the Implementation of the 1996 Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act (2000, Reproductive Health Alliance)Google Scholar at 11.

67 Engelbrecht et al “The operation of the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act “, above at note 65.

68 Ngwena “Conscientious objection and legal abortion”, above at note 52 at 9.

69 Debates of the National Assembly Hansard (November 1996) col 4780.

70 During the operation of the Abortion and Sterilization Act, only an average of between 800 and 1,200 mainly white, middle class women “qualified” for legal abortion each year. In contrast, each year an estimated 44,000 mainly black, poor women had recourse to unsafe abortion, resulting in the deaths of 425 women: Strauss, SDoctor, Patient and the Law (2nd ed, 1984, JL van Schaik (Pty) Ltd)Google Scholar at 218.

71 Debates of the National Assembly, above at note 69, col 4780.

72 Ministry of Health Standards and Guidelines, above at note 47.

73 Id at 9.

74 Id at 9.

75 Of the United Nation treaties, Zimbabwe has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (adopted by GA res 2200A (XXI) on 16 December 1966 and entered into force 23 March 1976), CESCR and CEDAW. Of the regional treaties, it has ratified the African Charter.

76 Rights in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment Act No 20 of 2013 that can potentially support a right to abortion include the following: life (sec 48); liberty (sec 49); dignity (sec 51); freedom from cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment (sec 53); equality and non-discrimination (sec 56); privacy (sec 57); and freedom of conscience (sec 60).

77 The right to immediate protection of fundamental rights is guaranteed by art 86 of the Colombian Constitution. It is guaranteed to everyone, may be filed before judges at all times and at all places, and must the determined within ten days: Morgan “Emancipatory equality”, above at note 10 at 76.

78 Exodus 20:13.

79 Case T-388/09, above at note 9, paras 5.3 and 5.4; arts 2 and 6 of the Constitution of Colombia.

80 Case id at para 5.3.

81 Ibid.

82 Ibid.

83 Ibid.

84 Above at note 12.

85 Decision of Colombian Constitutional Court: Case T-209/08 (2008); Cook, R et al. “Healthcare responsibilities and conscientious objection” (2009) 104 International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 249CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed at 250–52.

86 Case T-388/09, above at note 9, para 5.1.

87 Hammer, L “Abortion objection in the United Kingdom within the framework of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms” (1999) 6 European Human Rights Law Review 564Google Scholar.

88 African Charter, art 8. See also art 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, adopted 4 November 1950 and entered into force 3 September 1950: UNTS No 5; and art 12 of the American Convention on Human Rights, adopted 22 November 1969 and entered into force 18 July 1978: OAS Treaty Series No 36, 1144 UNTS 123.

89 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, art 18: GA res 217A (III), UN doc A/810 at 71 (1948).

90 Above at note 75.

91 Human Rights Committee General Comment No 22: CCPR, art 18 on freedom of thought, conscience or religion (30 July 1993): CCPR/C/Rev. 1/Add.4, para 1.

92 Id, paras 3 and 8.

93 Id, para 11.

94 Ibid.

95 Dickens, B and Cook, R “The scope and limits of conscientious objection” (2000) 7 International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics 71CrossRefGoogle Scholar at 71–72.

96 Case T-388/09, above at note 9, para 5.1.

97 Human Rights Committee General Comment No 22, above at note 91, para 8.

98 Id, para 2.

99 Id, para 8.

100 Dickens and Cook “The scope and limits of conscientious objection”, above at note 95 at 72 and 74–76.

101 Case T-388/09, above at note 9, para 5.1, recalling Case T-209/08, above at note 85.

102 [1988] 3 All ER 1079 (HL).

103 Abortion Act of 1967, sec 4(1).

104 Ngwena “Conscientious objection and legal abortion”, above at note 52 at 15.

105 Morgan “Emancipatory equality”, above at note 10 at 75.

106 Case T-388/09, above at note 9, para 5.2.

107 Ibid.

108 Id, para 5.3.

109 Singh, S et al. Abortion Worldwide: A Decade of Uneven Progress (2009, Alan Guttmacher Institute)Google Scholar at 5 and 27–39.

110 Case T-388/09, above at note 9, para 5.1.

111 Ibid.

112 Dickens and Cook “The scope and limits of conscientious objection”, above at note 95 at 73.

113 Committee on CEDAW General Recommendation No 24: Art 12 of the Convention (Women and Health) (1999): A54/38/rev 1, chap 1.

114 Id, para 11.

115 Ibid.

116 Cook and Howard “Accommodating women's differences”, above at note 30 at 1040–48.

117 Albertyn, C “Substantive equality and transformation in South Africa” (2007) 23 South African Journal on Human Rights 253CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

118 Cook and Howard “Accommodating women's differences”, above at note 30 at 1040–41.

119 Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights General Comment No 14: The right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health (Art 12 of the Covenant) (11 August 2000): E/C12/2000/4, para 12(b).

120 Tysiac v Poland (appln no 5410/03) [2007] 45 EHRR 42; A, B and C v Ireland (appln no 25579/05) [2010] ECHR 2032; RR v Poland (appln no 27617/04) ECHR (2011).

121 KL v Peru (comm no 1153/2003), adopted 24 October 2005, UN GAOR, Human Rights Committee 85th session: UN doc CCPR/C/85/D/1153/2003 (2005); LC v Peru (comm no 22/2009): CEDAW/C/50/D/22/2009, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (2011); and LMR v Argentina (comm no. 1608/2007): CCPR/C/101/D/168/2007, Human Rights Committee (2011).

122 Case T-388/09, above at note 9, para 5.1.

123 Cook and Howard “Accommodating women's differences”, above at note 30 at 1040.

124 Id at 1085–87.

125 N Rescher Pluralism: Against the Demand for Consensus (1993, Oxford University Press) at 2.

126 Id at 2–3.

127 Rawls, JPolitical Liberalism (2005, Columbia University Press)Google Scholar at 131–72.

128 Ibid.

129 Case T-388/09, above at note 9, para 5.1.

130 Rescher Pluralism, above at note 125 at 3–4.

131 Ibid.

132 Nussbaum, MWomen and Human Development: The Capabilities Approach (2000, Cambridge University Press)CrossRefGoogle Scholar at 188–89.

133 Dickens and Cook “The scope and limits of conscientious objection”, above at note 95 at 72.

134 Protocol to the African Charter on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights, adopted 10 June 1998 and entered into force 25 June 2004: OAU doc OAU/LEG/MIN/AFCH/PROT(I) rev 2. Once operational, a new court (the African Court of Justice and Human Rights) will supplant the African court as part of a merger between the African Court and the Court of Justice of the African Union: art 2 of the Protocol on the Statute of the African Court of Justice and Human Rights Merging the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights, adopted 1 July 2008: Assembly/AU/Dec. 196 (XI).

135 N Lacey “Feminist legal theory and the rights of women” in Knop (ed) Gender and Human Rights, above at note 10, 13 at 40–41.

136 Ibid.

137 Sen, A “Elements of a theory of human rights” (2004) 32 Philosophy and Public Affairs 315CrossRefGoogle Scholar at 330–33; Nussbaum Women and Human Development, above at note 132.