Experts available on US abortion policy

Constitutional law expert

Professor of Law; Associate Dean of Research and Intellectual Life

• (312) 503-7617
• paul.gowder@law.northwestern.edu

• Expert in political, moral and legal philosophy, constitutional law and critical race theory
• Previously practiced as a civil rights and legal aid lawyer

Gowder's book, The Rule of Law in the United States: An Unfinished Project of Black Liberation, was published in December 2021 and is available in free open-access electronic form.

Expert on issues at the intersection of law and political philosophy

John Paul Stevens Professor of Law

• (312) 503-8431
• akoppelman@law.northwestern.edu

• Expert in constitutional law, conflicts of law, first amendment and law and religion

Koppelman has written more than 100 scholarly articles and eight books, most recently Burning Down the House: How Libertarian Philosophy Was Corrupted by Delusion and Greed, (St. Martin’s Press). He is the most prominent scholarly advocate of the argument that the right to abortion is protected by the Thirteenth Amendment, which prohibits involuntary servitude.

Cybersecurity and data privacy expert

Walter P. Murphy Professor of Computer Science
Buffett Faculty Fellow, Buffett Institute for Global Affairs

• (847) 467-2490
• vss@northwestern.edu
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• Protecting personal and medical data
• Risks of data stored in health-tracking apps
• Risks of sharing info online or in private messages
• Surveillance technology, including location tracking

Criminal law and feminist legal theory expert

Class of 1967 James B. Haddad Professor of Law

• (312) 503-4864
• deborah.tuerkheimer@law.northwestern.edu

• Teaches and writes in the areas of criminal law, evidence and feminist legal theory

Tuerkheimer's book, CREDIBLE: Why We Doubt Accusers and Protect Abusers, was published in October 2021. She teaches Reproductive Justice Seminar at Northwestern Law.

Expert on impact to transgender people

Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Chief of Gynecology and Gynecologic Surgery

• (312) 695-4458
• angela.chaudhari@northwestern.edu

• Women's health
• Minimally invasive gynecologic surgery
• Gender affirmation surgery
• Surgical education and physician wellness

Expert on the policy implications for IVF

Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology

• (312) 926-8244
• eve.feinberg@nm.org

• How the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which opened the door for states to legislate when fetal protection should begin, could affect the future of in vitro fertilization (IVF)

Dr. Feinberg is involved on a national level in the field of reproductive medicine. She is the past president for the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, an editorial editor the journal Fertility and Sterility and sits on the National Medical Committee of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She also is the creator and co-host of Fertility and Sterility On-Air podcast.  

Abortion procedure expert

Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Director of Northwestern's Section and Fellowship in Complex Family Planning

• (312) 695-4458
• cha038@northwestern.edu

• Contraception and abortion among medically compromised patients
• First- and second-trimester medical and surgical abortion
• Sterilization
• OBGYN care of women with disabilities
• LGBTQ care

Dr. Hammond can speak about how common and safe abortion is, at what gestational ages abortions are performed, and medication abortions and telehealth. He has directed abortion education at Northwestern for 20 years and can address abortion education generally and what could happen to medical professionals’ training if abortion is restricted.

Expert on impact to transgender people

Research Assistant Professor at the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing

• (312) 503-3610
• ricky@northwestern.edu

• How excluding the already-marginalized group of transgender individuals from the conversation increases barriers transgender people encounter when trying to access abortions

Expert on the policy implications for IVF

Chief of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Edmond Confino, MD, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology

• Emily.Jungheim@nm.org

• How the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which opened the door for states to legislate when fetal protection should begin, could affect the future of IVF

Dr. Jungheim is the medical director of Northwestern’s Fertility and Reproductive Medicine Center and a member of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology’s Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Division.  

Reproductive and public health expert

Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Director of the Center for Health Equity Transformation

• (312) 503-8780
• m-simon2@northwestern.edu

• Reproductive health and public health expert
• Scientist with a substantive body of National Institutes of Health-funded research on health equity
• Northwestern Medicine physician, mother of four children and a Latina

Medical ethicist

Associate Professor of Medical Education, Medical Social Sciences and Obstetrics and Gynecology

• (312) 503-1675
• k-watson@northwestern.edu

• Medical ethicist
• Reproductive health expert
• Constitutional scholar

Recent publications

• Author of Scarlet A: The Ethics, Law and Politics of Ordinary Abortion
• Research articles on abortion published in JAMA, New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet
• Article on the need to reframe abortion care as a health disparity published in the American Journal of Bioethics

Expert on transgender politicsAssistant professor and media

Assistant Professor of Communications

• billard@northwestern.edu

• Transgender politics and the media
• Affiliated with the Center for Communication and Public Policy and the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing

Anthropology and religion expert

Professor of anthropology

• (847) 491-4841
• rgl201@northwestern.edu

• Social/cultural anthropology
• Islam
• History of anthropology
• Anthropological views of personhood

U.S. history expert

Professor of History

• (847) 491-2849
• kmasur@northwestern.edu
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• History of abortion and contraception regulation in the United States, including the history of the Comstock Act
• 19th century abortion regulations
• Federalism and interstate travel

Relevant publications:

• What Pre-Civil War History Tells Us about the Coming Abortion Battle (2022)
• Abortion Rights and Federalism (2023)

Sociology Expert

Professor and Chair of Sociology

• (847) 491-3718
• l-nielsen@northwestern.edu

• Research professor for the American Bar Foundation
• Sociology of law
• Inequality
• Gender
• Race

Expert on impact to employees

Professor of Management & Organizations

• (847) 467-5249
• l-rivera@kellogg.northwestern.edu

• Workplace personnel practices, with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion
• Potential impact to women's labor force participation
• Pregnancy discrimination

American political expert

Professor of political science and African American studies
Director, Center for the Study of Diversity and Democracy

• (847) 467-4697
• alvin.tillery@northwestern.edu

• Impact of abortion rights on political elections
• American political development
• Racial and ethnic politics
• Media and politics