November 7-8, 2013, Lexington, Virginia
The fortieth anniversary of Roe v. Wade has generated substantial scholarly and media efforts to evaluate the decision and its continuing impact. “Roe at 40 – The Controversy Continues,” a symposium to be held on November 7-8, 2013, at Washington and Lee University School of Law, will contribute to the ongoing debate about the significance of the Roe decision.
SYMPOSIUM OVERVIEW: Roe did not resolve the abortion controversy, which continues with unabated passion on both sides of the issue. A distinguishing feature of the “Roe at 40” Symposium will be its inclusion of varying perspectives on abortion. There will be two keynote addresses, one by a pro-choice advocate and the other by a pro-life advocate. Panel participants have also been selected to ensure a balanced presentation. Balance is also reflected in the Symposium’s sponsors: ACLU of Virginia, the Frances Lewis Law Center of Washington and Lee University, University Faculty for Life, Virginia NOW, and the Washington and Lee Law Review.
The Symposium’s commitment to balance is not intended to suggest that advocates should give up their principled stances or that abortion is an issue for which compromise is readily attainable. Rather, the motivating concept is that an academic conference should encourage a free and full exchange of views and that this goal is possible even for an issue as contentious as abortion. It is not expected that attendees will likely change their views, but it is hoped that they will at least better understand their opponents. This increased insight will hopefully lead to productive future dialogue.
The Symposium was made possible by the efforts and financial support of the Frances Lewis Law Center, University Faculty for Life, and the Washington and Lee Law Review. To promote the Symposium’s ongoing impact on the abortion debate, the Washington and Lee Law Review has committed to publish all articles prepared for the event.
REGISTRATION/FURTHER INFORMATION: Please visit http://law.wlu.edu/roeat40 for schedule and participant updates.
KEYNOTE ADDRESSES:
– Caitlin Borgmann, Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law
– Michael Paulsen, Distinguished University Chair and Professor of Law, University of St. Thomas School of Law
CONFIRMED PANELISTS:
– Randy Beck (Justice Thomas O. Marshall Chair of Constitutional Law, University of Georgia)
– Dorinda Bordlee (Vice-President & Chief Counsel, Bioethics Defense Fund)
– Pamela Bridgewater (Professor of Law, American University, Washington College of Law)
– Sam Calhoun (Professor of Law, Washington and Lee University)
– Teresa Collett (Professor of Law, University of St. Thomas)
– Caroline Corbin (Professor of Law, University of Miami)
-Clarke Forsythe (Senior Counsel, Americans United for Life)
– David Garrow (Research Professor of History and Law, University of Pittsburgh)
– Kathy Greenier (Associate Director of Public Policy and Communications, and Director, Patricia M. Arnold Women’s Rights Project, ACLU of Virginia)
– Lynne Marie Kohm (John Brown McCarty Professor of Family Law, Regent University)
– Maya Manian (Professor of Law, University of San Francisco)
– Tom Molony (Associate Professor of Law, Elon University)
– Mark Rienzi (Associate Professor of Law, Catholic University)
– Priscilla Smith (Associate Research Scholar in Law and Senior Fellow in the Program for the Study of Reproductive Justice at the Yale Information Society Project)
– Robin Fretwell Wilson (Roger and Stevie Joslin Professor of Law, University of Illinois)
– Mary Ziegler (Assistant Professor of Law, Florida State University)
EVENT CONTACTS:
– Lara Gass, Symposium Editor, Washington and Lee Law Review, (901) 361-5825, gass.l@law.wlu.edu
– Thomas Short, Editor-in-Chief, Washington and Lee Law Review, (720) 933-9378, short.t@law.wlu.edu
