ST. LOUIS — Dr. Colleen McNicholas, the chief medical officer for the St. Louis region’s Planned Parenthood, is among three finalists selected from across the world for the European Union’s top human rights prize.
McNicholas, , and , were jointly nominated as “women fighting for free, safe and legal abortionâ€
“As far-right politicians try to ban abortion across swaths of the U.S. and internationally, I’m thankful for the European Parliament’s nomination and spotlight on this critical issue of human rights,†McNicholas said. “Let this be a sign to those trying to roll back access to abortion: the world is watching.â€
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The other two other finalists this year’s were:
• , the 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in police custody in Iran last year after she was arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s mandatory headscarf law, sparking worldwide protest.
• Vilma Núñez de Escorcia and Roman Catholic Bishop Rolando José Ãlvarez Lagos, for their decadeslong fight defending human rights in Nicaragua.
The finalists were chosen in a vote Oct. 12 by the European Parliament’s foreign affairs and development committees. Parliament President Roberta Metsola and the political group leaders will decide Thursday on the winner.
The EU prize, named for Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, has been awarded each year since 1988 to honor individuals or groups who defend freedom and human rights. Sakharov, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, died in 1989.
This is the first time since the prize’s creation that abortion rights advocates have been nominated. In the U.S., where the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade over a year ago, 21 states have banned or severely restricted the procedure.
Among the abortion advocates, the nominating committee wrote that McNicholas has a “strong track record of high-quality patient care and impactful reproductive health advocacy.â€
Yamelsie Rodriguez, president of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, said she is privileged to work alongside McNicholas.
“You can only do this work when you have fierce advocates by your side,†Rodriguez said. “Colleen’s partnership, strength, and commitment to providing compassionate care and advocacy for her patients are inspiring and among the strongest I’ve ever known.â€
McNicholas, born and raised in Chicago, has worked as an abortion provider for more than 20 years in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. She currently works in southern Illinois, where hundreds of abortion patients travel to each week from states where the procedure is banned.
She has testified multiple time before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and the Missouri Legislature against abortion restrictions. McNicholas also oversees operations of a regional logistics center, which works with abortion funds, independent clinics and other resources to support traveling patients.
