Greer Donley

Last updated
Greer Donley
Born
United States
Alma mater Claremont McKenna College
University of Michigan School of Law
Known for abortion law
bioethics
Awards Haub Law Emerging Scholar Award in Women, Gender & Law
Chancellor's Distinguished Research Award
Scientific career
FieldsLaw
Institutions National Institutes of Health
University of Pittsburgh School of Law

Greer Donley is an American attorney known for her expertise in abortion law and her advocacy for abortion rights. Donley is an associate professor of law at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and a John E. Murray Faculty Scholar. Donley was influential in drafting a 2022 law in Connecticut that shields residents from the antiabortion movement, a law that has since been modeled in other states. [1] She was the 11th most downloaded law professor in 2022.

Contents

Early life and education

Donley pursued her undergraduate degree at Claremont McKenna College, majoring in philosophy and ethics. [2] After graduating in 2009, Donley pursued a fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in the Department of Bioethics. [2] Donley then pursued her Juris Doctor degree at the University of Michigan Law School, graduating in 2014. [3] During her time at the University of Michigan, Donley served as the editor-in-chief for the Michigan Journal of Gender and Law. [4]

Career

After law school, Donley worked as an associate in the office of Latham and Watkins, LLP in Washington, D.C., where she focused on healthcare-related cases. [4] From 2017 to 2018, Donley clerked for Judge Robert Sack on the U.S. Court of Appeals on the Second Circuit. [5]

In 2018, Donley joined the University of Pittsburgh School of Law faculty. She holds the John E. Murray Faculty Scholar and is an Pittsburgh School of Law associate professor. [6] She also directs the Law and Bioethics joint degree program at the University of Pittsburgh. [5] Donley is also a board member for the Women's Law Project. [7] [8]

Abortion legislation

In 2022, Donley and her colleagues published a paper [9] exploring the complex new legal dynamics that emerge as abortion legislation is dictated at the level of each state post-Roe v. Wade. [1] Her work inspired a new law in Connecticut, that Donley helped draft, which protects individuals from the anti-abortion legislation in other states where citizens are allowed to sue people that assist in abortion procedures. [1] Donley's efforts led to the "first abortion shield law in the country". [10] This law became the model for other laws and protections created by other states across the U.S. [10]

Honors and awards

Select media publications and features

Donley has written multiple op-eds in the New York Times, Slate Magazine, and Time and has been featured in many news articles discussing abortion legislation.

Select publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abortion in the United States</span> Termination of a pregnancy in the United States

Abortion is a divisive issue in the United States. The issue of abortion is prevalent in American politics and culture wars, though a slight majority of Americans support continued access to abortion. There are widely different abortion laws depending on state.

The abortion debate is a longstanding, ongoing controversy that touches on the moral, legal, medical, and religious aspects of induced abortion. In English-speaking countries, the debate most visibly polarizes around adherents of the self-described "pro-choice" and "pro-life" movements. Pro-choice supporters uphold that individuals have the right to make their own decisions about their reproductive health, and that they should have the option to end a pregnancy if they choose to do so, taking into account various factors such as the stage of fetal development, the health of the mother, and the circumstances of the conception. Pro-life advocates, on the other hand, maintain that a fetus is a human being with inherent rights that cannot be overridden by the mother’s choice or circumstances, and that abortion is morally wrong in most or all cases. Both terms are considered loaded in mainstream media, where terms such as "abortion rights" or "anti-abortion" are generally preferred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abortion law</span> Laws that allow, prohibit, or regulate abortion

Abortion laws vary widely among countries and territories, and have changed over time. Such laws range from abortion being freely available on request, to regulation or restrictions of various kinds, to outright prohibition in all circumstances. Many countries and territories that allow abortion have gestational limits for the procedure depending on the reason; with the majority being up to 12 weeks for abortion on request, up to 24 weeks for rape, incest, or socioeconomic reasons, and more for fetal impairment or risk to the woman's health or life. As of 2022, countries that legally allow abortion on request or for socioeconomic reasons comprise about 60% of the world's population.

Anti-abortion feminism is the opposition to abortion by some feminists. Anti-abortion feminists may believe that the principles behind women's rights also call them to oppose abortion on right to life grounds and that abortion hurts women more than it benefits them.

Fetal rights are the moral rights or legal rights of the human fetus under natural and civil law. The term fetal rights came into wide usage after Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark case that legalized abortion in the United States. The concept of fetal rights has evolved to include the issues of maternal substance use disorders, including alcohol use disorder and opioid use disorder. Most international human rights charters "clearly reject claims that human rights should attach from conception or any time before birth." While international human rights instruments lack a universal inclusion of the fetus as a person for the purposes of human rights, the fetus is granted various rights in the constitutions and civil codes of several countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abortion law in the United States by state</span> Termination of pregnancy in states of the United States

The legality of abortion in the United States and the various restrictions imposed on the procedure vary significantly depending on the laws of each state or other jurisdiction. Some states prohibit abortion at all stages of pregnancy with few exceptions, others permit it up to a certain point in a woman's pregnancy, while others allow abortion throughout a woman's pregnancy. In states where abortion is legal, several classes of restrictions on the procedure may exist, such as parental consent or notification laws, requirements that patients be shown an ultrasound before obtaining an abortion, mandatory waiting periods, and counselling requirements.

Abortion in Greece has been fully legalized since 1986, when Law 1609/1986 was passed effective from 3 July 1986. Partial legalization of abortion in Greece was passed in Law 821 in 1978 that provided for the legal termination of a pregnancy, with no time limitation, in the event of a threat to the health or life of the woman. This law also allowed for termination up to the 12th week of pregnancy due to psychiatric indications and to the 20th week due to fetal pathology. Following the passage of the 1986 law, abortions can be performed on-demand in hospitals for women whose pregnancies have not exceeded 12 weeks. In the case of rape or incest, an abortion can occur as late as 19 weeks, and as late as 24 weeks in the case of fetal abnormalities. In case of inevitable risk to the life of the pregnant woman or a risk of serious and continuous damage to her physical or mental health, termination of pregnancy is legal any time before birth. Girls under the age of 18 must get written permission from a parent or guardian before being allowed an abortion.

Foeticide, or feticide, is the act of killing a fetus, or causing a miscarriage. Definitions differ between legal and medical applications, whereas in law, feticide frequently refers to a criminal offense, in medicine the term generally refers to a part of an abortion procedure in which a provider intentionally induces fetal demise to avoid the chance of an unintended live birth, or as a standalone procedure in the case of selective reduction.

Paper abortion, also known as a financial abortion, male abortion or a statutory abortion, is the proposed ability of the biological father, before the birth of the child, to opt out of any rights, privileges, and responsibilities toward the child, including financial support. By this means, before a child is born, a man would be able to absolve himself of both the privileges and demands of fatherhood.

Abortion in Oklahoma is illegal unless the abortion is necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiona de Londras</span> Irish academic, UK-based since 2012

Fiona de Londras is an Irish academic and the Professor of Global Legal Studies at the University of Birmingham, UK. From 2019 to 2022, she was also an honorary professor at the Australian National University in Canberra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anita Bernstein</span>

Anita Nancy Bernstein is an American tort law scholar, with expertise in feminist jurisprudence and legal ethics. She is the Anita and Stuart Subotnick Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth Halperin-Kaddari</span> Israeli legal scholar and international womens rights advocate

Ruth Halperin-Kaddari is an Israeli legal scholar and international women's rights advocate who is known for her work on family law, feminist legal theory, women's rights in international law, and women and religion. She was a member of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women from 2006 to 2018, and was the committee's vice chair during several terms. She is Professor of Law at the Bar-Ilan University and is the founding Academic Director of the Ruth and Emanuel Rackman Center for the Advancement of the Status of Women. She is also involved in international academic collaborations on the theme of women, state, and religion, and participates in international litigations as an expert on Israeli family law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aid Access</span> Abortion services provider

Aid Access is a nonprofit organization that provides access to medication abortion by mail to the United States and worldwide. It describes its work as a harm reduction strategy designed to provide safe access to mifepristone and misoprostol for those able to become pregnant in the United States who may not otherwise have access to abortion or miscarriage management services. People are able to manage their own abortion with remote access to a physician and a help-desk for any questions. The website is available in English, Spanish, and Dutch.

As of 2023, Abortion is currently illegal in Indiana, with exceptions for fatal fetal abnormalities, to preserve the life and physical health of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest. Previously abortion in Indiana was legal up to 20 weeks; a near-total ban that was scheduled to take effect on August 1 was placed on hold due to further legal challenges, but is set to take place, after the Indiana Supreme Court denied an appeal by the ACLU, and once it certifies a previous ruling, that an abortion ban doesn't violate the state constitution. In the wake of the 2022 Dobbs Supreme Court ruling, abortion in Indiana remained legal despite Indiana lawmakers voting in favor of a near-total abortion ban on August 5, 2022. Governor Eric Holcomb signed this bill into law the same day. The new law became effective on September 15, 2022. But on September 22, 2022, Special Judge Kelsey B. Hanlon of the Monroe County Circuit Court granted a preliminary injunction against the enforcement of the ban. Her ruling allows the state's previous abortion law, which allows abortions up to 20 weeks after fertilization with exceptions for rape and incest, to remain in effect.

Abortion in Tennessee is illegal from fertilization, except to "prevent the death of the pregnant woman or to prevent serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman".

Abortion in Maryland is legal up to the point of fetal viability and later when necessary to preserve the life or health of the pregnant person. The first laws regulating abortion in the state were passed in 1867 and 1868, banning abortion except by a physician to "secure the safety of the mother." Abortion providers continued to operate both within and outside of the law. Legal enforcement became more strict from the 1940s through 60s, with numerous police raids on abortion providers. In 1968, Maryland passed a liberalized abortion law that clarified the wording of the previous law, allowing abortion in hospital settings in cases of rape, severe fetal deformity, or when life and health were endangered.

Abortion in Puerto Rico is legal throughout pregnancy. On June 22, 2022, the Senate passed a bill limiting abortion to 22 weeks, with exceptions for danger to the mother's life, fetal defects, and if the fetus would not be viable. The bill will need to be considered by the House.

Abortion in Iowa is legal up to 20 weeks of gestation. A 6-week abortion ban has been indefinitely blocked in court.

Rachel Rebouché is an American attorney and reproductive law scholar. She is the James E. Beasley Professor of Law and the Dean of Beasley School of Law at Temple University in Philadelphia. She is also a Faculty Fellow of the Center for Public Health Law Research at Temple University. Rebouché is known for her scholarship in reproductive law and has been frequently quoted in news outlets such as the New York Times, USA Today, Politico, Rolling Stone, and The Atlantic, especially since the overturning of Roe v Wade.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kitchener, Caroline (2022-05-03). "Conn. lawmakers pass bill to be 'place of refuge' for abortion patients". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  2. 1 2 "Alumni | Claremont McKenna College". www.cmc.edu. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  3. ↑ "Greer Donley". N.Y.U. Review of Law & Social Change. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  4. 1 2 3 "Greer Donley | School of Law | University of Pittsburgh". www.law.pitt.edu. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  5. 1 2 3 "Greer Donley Receives 2020 Haub Law Emerging Scholar Award in Women, Gender & Law | Pace Law School". law.pace.edu. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  6. ↑ "Greer Donley". Time. 2022-08-26. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  7. ↑ "Greer Donley". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  8. ↑ "BOARD OF TRUSTEES | Women's Law Project". 2018-06-01. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  9. ↑ Review, Columbia Law. "THE NEW ABORTION BATTLEGROUND". Columbia Law Review. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  10. 1 2 3 "Professor Greer Donley Receives Iris Marion Young Award at University Ceremony | School of Law | University of Pittsburgh". www.law.pitt.edu. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  11. ↑ "14 Pitt faculty members won 2023 Chancellor's Distinguished Awards". University of Pittsburgh. 2023-03-07. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  12. ↑ Caron, Paul (Jan 2023). "The 50 Most Downloaded U.S. Law Professors Of 2022". TaxProf. Retrieved Jan 14, 2024.
  13. ↑ Donley, Greer (Dec 17, 2023). "What Happened to Kate Cox Is Tragic, and Completely Expected". New York Times. Retrieved Jan 14, 2024.
  14. ↑ Donley, Greer (June 23, 2022). "Abortion Pills Will Change a Post-Roe World". New York Times. Retrieved Jan 14, 2024.
  15. ↑ Donley, Greer; Lens, Jill Wieber (2022-10-27). "Those Pregnancy Tissue Photos Were Destined to Backfire on Abortion Rights Supporters". Slate. ISSN   1091-2339 . Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  16. ↑ "Two Courts Ruled on Abortion in Emergencies. One Got It Right". TIME. 2022-08-26. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  17. ↑ "Dems want to focus on abortion rights. A Trump ally may have just helped". POLITICO. 2023-12-08. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  18. ↑ "A Black woman in Ohio was charged after miscarrying in her bathroom. Experts warn of the dangerous precedent". NBC News. 2023-12-22. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  19. ↑ Cohen, David S.; Donley, Greer; Rebouche, Rachel (2022). "The New Abortion Battleground". SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.4032931. ISSN   1556-5068.
  20. ↑ Donley, Greer; Lens, Jill (2022-01-01). "Abortion, Pregnancy Loss, & Subjective Fetal Personhood". Vanderbilt Law Review, Forthcoming. 75.
  21. ↑ Review, Stanford Law; Anand, Meghan (2022-08-27). "Rethinking Strategy After Dobbs". Stanford Law Review. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  22. ↑ "Medication Abortion Exceptionalism – Cornell Law Review". www.cornelllawreview.org. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  23. ↑ Donley, Greer (2013-01-01). "Does the Constitution Protect Abortions Based on Fetal Anomaly?: Examining the Potential for Disability-Selective Abortion Bans in the Age of Prenatal Whole Genome Sequencing". Michigan Journal of Gender & Law. 20 (2): 291–328. doi:10.36641/mjgl.20.2.does. ISSN   1095-8835.
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