Current Research in Private International Law: Virtual Workshop with Joseph William Singer

 Tuesday, 7 January 2025, 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. (CET)

"Conflict of Abortion Laws"

About the Speaker:

Joseph William Singer is the Bussey Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. He has written extensively about conflict of laws, property law, and federal Indian law. The second edition of his book, Choice of Law: An Experiential Learning Approach (Carolina Academic Press, 2025) is forthcoming in 2025. 

About the Topic:

With the abolition of the constitutional abortion right in the United States come huge differences among the laws of the states, and that leads to questions about which state law applies when a person from an anti-abortion state travels to a pro-choice state to get an abortion. Can anti-abortion states apply their regulatory and tort regimes to their own residents who leave the state to obtain an abortion? Can they empower residents to sue abortion providers in other states to protect what they view as the “unborn child”? Can pro-choice states confer immunity from suit on abortion providers and on people who get abortions from suits filed in anti-abortion states? Does the United States Constitution limit the power of anti-abortion states to apply their laws in an extraterritorial manner, and, if not, how should courts revolve conflicts of law (private international law) questions about abortion?

About the virtual workshop series:

The virtual workshop series “Current Research in Private International Law" is organised by Ralf Michaels and Philomena Hindermann. The series features guest speakers and Institute staff members who present and discuss their work on current developments and research topics in private international law. The workshops are geared to scholars who are researching in the field of private international law, but attendance is open to all individuals having an academic interest (including doctoral candidates and students).