The act of donating blood is often lauded as a benevolent and altruistic act with the potential to save countless lives. However, members of the LGBTQ+ community are routinely excluded from participation in this philanthropic endeavour. Recently, the Indian government, citing scientific data, defended its decision to forbid LGBTQ+ individuals from donating blood. This issue [...]
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is tasked with investigating and prosecuting individuals responsible for the gravest of crimes — genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and aggression. While the struggles faced by Afghan women and girls have yet to be classified, their plight demands attention. As human beings, these women and girls have been callously [...]
As climate change and climate-related disasters continue to drive displacement, the United States must do more to protect impacted individuals. It can start by upholding our existing asylum and refugee protection laws. The adverse effects of climate change can interact with and exacerbate targeted violence, conflict, and other forms of persecution that drive people to [...]
On April 7, US District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk issued an order suspending the FDA’s approval of mifepristone based on a lawsuit filed against the FDA by the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine — an organization comprising four anti-abortion medical associations, and four anti-abortion doctors. The Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit then partially blocked [...]
Accountability in law is a cornerstone for more stable societies. Both domestically and internationally holding those who step away from the law accountable deters the future perpetration of crimes. Justice mechanisms that work together bolster that effort and enhance efficiencies that breed confidence in assured justice. Since the invasion by the Russian Federation into Ukraine, [...]
In March, the Pakistan Parliament passed a bill to regulate the exclusive discretion of the Chief Justice (CJ) of the Supreme Court in initiating cases under suo motu jurisdiction and in making the Benches of Judges that hear cases. The bill also provides an intra-Court appellate review by a larger Bench. Before the bill could [...]
“For by Wise Counsel, Thou Shalt Make Thy War.” Proverbs, 24,6 As a matter of logic, an Israel-Iran nuclear exchange is presently out of the question. Though energetically pursuing a military nuclear capability, the Shiite Republic still has a formidable way to go before it can claim any credible status as an operational nuclear power. [...]
The suffering that Afghan women have endured is matched by only a few other groups in recent world history. – Afghan-American novelist Khalid Hosseini Afghanistan stands alone as the only country in the world where women are systematically denied the fundamental right to education. For over a year now, the Taliban’s ban on female education [...]
Since gaining power in August 2021, the Afghan Taliban, following a unique normative mixture of Pashtun culture and Islamic law, have closed universities, colleges, and secondary and primary schools to deny education to women and girls. In banning women from higher education, the Taliban education minister argued that female college students do not adhere to [...]
As Women’s History Month draws to a close, we should recognize that our history of gender inequity and oppression is now being used by our highest courts to narrowly define the contours of women’s rights going forward. We need to fight back to ensure our principles — of equality, human dignity, and respect for the [...]
