Welcome to the Rapoport Center

Upcoming Events

• September 23, 2024

  Robyn Powell: “Forced to Bear, Denied to Rear: The Cruelty of Dobbs for Disabled People”

  Using a disability justice lens, Robyn Powell, Professor of Law at Stetson University College of Law, will argue that Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization exacerbates a paradox for disabled people: they may be forced to bear children but subsequently denied the opportunity to rear them because of laws, policies, and practices that assume incompetence among disabled parents. Julie Minich, Associate Professor of English at UT Austin, will respond.
• October 7, 2024

  Isabel Jaramillo Sierra: “The Decriminalization of Abortion in Latin America: Old and New Feminisms in the Region”

  Isabel Jaramillo Sierra, Professor of Law at Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, will outline the feminist strategies that contributed to the decriminalization of abortion in Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico. She will contrast those “old feminisms” with “new” feminist approaches more inclined toward social media, arguing for the need to bridge gaps between old and new feminisms to continue to work toward reproductive justice. Neville Hoad, Associate Professor of English and co-director of the Rapoport Center, will respond.
• October 21, 2024

  Amanda Heffernan: “‘Una mujer embarazada necesita el sol‘: Pregnant Migrant Women’s Encounter with Immigration Enforcement at the U.S.-Mexico Border”

  Amanda Heffernan, Assistant Professor of Nursing at Seattle University, will discuss her study of the impact of pregnancy-related immigration policies on the lived experiences of pregnant migrants arriving at the US-Mexico border during the Trump and Biden administrations. The findings demonstrate, she will argue, that under every policy regime, pregnant persons have been negatively impacted. Denise Gilman, Clinical Professor at UT School of Law, will respond.
• October 22, 2024

  UN Consultation on Xenophobia, Migration, and Human Rights in the Southwest Border Region

  This consultation will contribute to a United Nations (UN) initiative to address xenophobia and human rights violations against migrants. A public panel (time TBA) will feature several UN experts, academics, and policymakers.
• November 4, 2024

  Wendy Bach: “Pregnancy as a Crime: A Preliminary Report on the First Year After Dobbs”

  Wendy Bach, Professor of Law at University of Tennessee College of Law, will present the preliminary findings of a national research study tracking prosecutions for pregnancy-related conduct in the first year after the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs, contextualizing them within larger conversations about pregnancy criminalization. Jennifer Laurin, Wright C. Morrow Professor of Law at UT School of Law, will respond.

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