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Reproductive Rights in a Post-Dobbs America: Where Do We Go From Here: View Video >>
Center for Reproductive Rights >>
On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson overturned Roe v. Wade and ended the constitutional right to abortion. In the wake of the Dobbs decision, Stanford’s Distinguished Careers Institute and Stanford Continuing Studies will host a webinar and discussion with Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, whose organization was lead counsel in the Dobbs case. Nancy, in conversation with Jill Lafer, DCI alum and former board chair of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, will discuss the history of Roe v. Wade and its legal arguments, the ramifications of Dobbs, and the agenda for winning back our rights.
This virtual event is co-sponsored by Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute and Stanford Continuing Studies.The session will be recorded. A video link will be emailed to all registered participants and posted online.
PRESENTERS:
Nancy Northup
Nancy Northup is President and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, a global human rights organization whose game-changing litigation and advocacy work have transformed how reproductive rights are understood by courts, governments, and human rights bodies. Under her leadership, the Center has played a key role in securing legal victories in the U.S., Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe and at the U.N. on issues including access to life-saving obstetrics care, maternal health, contraception, and safe abortion services, as well as the prevention of forced sterilization and child marriage. With offices in Colombia, Kenya, Switzerland, and the U.S., the Center has built the legal capacity of women’s rights advocates in over 60 countries.
Nancy was previously the founding director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, where she litigated voting rights, campaign finance reform, and ballot access cases. From 1989 to 1996, she served as a prosecutor and Deputy Chief of Appeals in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Prior to that she was a law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans.
She has held adjunct appointments at NYU Law School and Columbia Law School, and taught courses in constitutional and human rights law. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Nancy graduated magna cum laude from Brown University and received her JD from Columbia Law School. She is also the recipient of an honorary doctorate from Brown University recognizing her achievements as an attorney and global reproductive rights leader.
A frequent public speaker, Nancy is quoted widely in the national press including The New York Times, USA Today, and The Washington Post, and has appeared on ABC World News Tonight, CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, FOX News, PBS, MSNBC, and NPR.
Jill Lafer
Jill Lafer has been a leader in the women’s reproductive rights and health movement for over 30 years. Jill is a former chair of Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s Board of Directors (2015–2017) and a former board member of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, PP Global, and the PP Political Action Committee.
Previously, Jill served as board chair of NARAL Pro-Choice New York and was a board member of the National Institute for Reproductive Health. She served as the treasurer of New York State Senator Liz Krueger’s No Bad Apples PAC and partnered with Senator Krueger to elect pro-choice Democrats to the New York State Senate. She currently serves as Secretary on the Tri State Maxed Out Women’s PAC, whose purpose is to elect pro-choice women to Congress.
Jill is a Mayoral appointee to the Central Park conservancy, having been appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and re-appointed by Mayors DeBlasio and Adams. She recently joined the Board of Directors of 92NY (formerly known as the 92nd Street Y). Jill has served on other boards including The Children’s Museum of Manhattan, Guild Hall of East Hampton, and the New York City Opera.
Jill’s background is in the business sector. She worked as an auditor at Arthur Young & Co. after earning her BS from NYU Stern School of business and in strategic planning for Citibank. In 1996, she co-founded a licensing business, Hoffman/Lafer Assoc. LLC. HL has been responsible for licensing agreements for numerous goods companies including Bulova Watch Corp, Woolrich, Lionel Trains, Nicole Miller, and Cynthia Rowley. In 2020, Jill founded Bandon Partners, a consulting firm for emerging not-for-profits.
In 2018-2019, Jill was a DCI Fellow at Stanford University. She has been a speaker at Columbia Business School, Harvard Business School, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, and Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.
Jill resides in NYC with her husband Barry and has three children and two granddaughters.