Since January 2005, the Reproductive Rights Law Project has collaborated with the Women’s Law Project, the Public Defender’s Office, Planned Parenthood, and the Philadelphia Women’s Center to ensure access to safe, comprehensive, and affordable reproductive healthcare and to advocate for reproductive rights generally. The Project currently provides direct legal service to clients in the form of judicial bypass counseling and clinic escorting, performs legal and policy research, and lobbies legislators to adopt new laws or improve existing laws.
This past year, RRLP has done some very exciting research for the Women’s Law Project. Our members have produced substantive confidential legal memos for use by WLP lawyers regarding new state legislation and advocacy efforts. RRLP volunteers have been able to sharpen their research and writing skills on cutting edge legal topics in the areas of privacy, constitutional, medical malpractice, administrative, and health law.
Additionally, RRLP coordinates with the Philadelphia Public Defender's Office to assist pregnant minors in accessing Pennsylvania's judicial bypass system. In an effort to limit access to abortion, Pennsylvania requires women less than eighteen years of age to obtain parental consent for abortions. In certain circumstances, minors may bypass this process by going before a judge and providing reasons why should be able to make this decision without parental consent. In an effort to help these pregnant minors, RRLP members volunteer at local clinics to explain the judicial bypass process and to complete legal paperwork so that the Public Defender may provide better representation to these young women. Judicial bypass interviews are one-on-one and provide students with hands-on client experience and practice dealing with sensitive legal issues. RRLP has had a record number of judicial bypass volunteers this semester – 32 Penn Law students and 5 Drexel Law students. The judicial bypass program is a unique and exciting pro bono opportunity for Penn Law students and RRLP looks forward to continuing this great project in the future.
RRLP also continued its effort to assist local health clinics by training volunteers to escort clients to and from the clinics to shield them from protestors. Beyond providing this assistance to clients, our volunteers also report Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act violations to the clinic liaison or police office on staff.
Finally, RRLP is also proud to share that it was the winner of the CRR Student Policy Advocacy Award from the Law School Initiative at the Center for Reproductive Rights in the fall of 2010. This award recognizes policy advocacy by students within their schools and communities that advances the principle that reproductive rights are human rights. RRLP used its cash prize to donate a new workstation to the Women’s Law Project.
