Ligia Castaldi

Professor of Law

ASEAN Human Rights Systems Bioethics Catholic Social Thought Church and State Relations Comparative Law Family Law Family Policy Frozen Embryo Adoption Human Dignity Human Rights Law International Development International Human Rights International Law Jurisprudence Law & Public Policy Law & Religion Natural Law Prenatal Rights Public International Law Religious Liberty Right to Life Issues United Nations Policy & Advocacy

Professor Ligia De Jesús Castaldi is an expert in international human rights law, prenatal rights, religious freedom, and family law at Ave Maria School of Law. Her scholarship and international legal work focus on the protection of human life and the development of human rights law in the Americas.

Phone: (239) 687-5372
Office: Administration Building

Biography

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi is Professor of Law at Ave Maria School of Law. Her scholarship focuses on prenatal rights in international human rights law. She has written the first-ever book on the right to life from conception and abortion in the Inter-American human rights system. Courses taught by her include International Law and International Human Rights Law.

Before joining Ave Maria School of Law faculty, Professor Castaldi worked for several international governmental human rights agencies including UNICEF’s regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. She was also a legal advisor to the National Congress of Honduras on human life and family law issues.

Education

  • LL.M. Harvard Law School
  • LL.M. University of Groningen

Professional Experience

Professor Ligia De Jesús Castaldi serves as Professor of Law at Ave Maria School of Law, where she teaches International Law, International Human Rights Law, Family Law; Law, Ethics and Public Policy (L.E.P.P.) and Right to Life Issues in Law and Public Policy (R.L.S.).

Before joining Ave Maria School of Law, Professor Castaldi worked with several international governmental human rights organizations, including UNICEF’s regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

She also served as a legal advisor to the National Congress of Honduras on matters involving human life and family law policy.

Honors & Professional Affiliations

  • Member, New York State Bar
  • Board member of Argentinian peer reviewed journal Prudentia Iuris of Catholic University of Argentina, a foreign law journal that specializes in natural law philosophy.
  • Academic board member of Christianity-World-Politics, a social sciences journal of the Political Science Institute at Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Poland.
  • Board member of International Solidarity and Human Rights Institute (ISHRI), a non-governmental organization accredited before the United Nations and the Organization of American States that participates in civil society activities therein.

Courses Taught

  • International Law
  • International Human Rights Law
  • Family Law
  • Law, Ethics and Public Policy
  • Right to Life Issues in Law and Public Policy

Media & Speaking Topics

Abortion Jurisprudence, Bioethics, Human Dignity, Inter-American Human Rights System, International Human Rights, Prenatal Rights, United Nations Policy

Publications

Book

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi, Abortion in Latin America and the Caribbean: The Legal Impact of the American Convention on Human Rights
(Univ. of Notre Dame Press 2020) (Kellogg Institute Series on Democracy and Development).

Publisher page

Book Chapters

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi,
El caso “Beatriz vs. El Salvador” y la creación de un derecho internacional al aborto “terapéutico” y eugenésico en el Sistema Interamericano de Derechos Humanos
[The Beatriz v. El Salvador Case and the Creation of an International Right to “Therapeutic” and Eugenic Abortion in the Inter-American System of Human Rights],
in El Aborto Ante la Corte IDH: A Propósito del Caso Beatriz vs. El Salvador
163 (Débora Ranieri de Cechini & Sofía Calderone eds., El Derecho 2024) (Arg.).

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi,
La doctrina del margen de apreciación y la interpretación de la Convención Americana respecto a la prohibición legal del aborto voluntario
[The Margin of Appreciation Doctrine and the American Convention’s Interpretation of the Legal Prohibition of Elective Abortion],
in El Derecho a la Vida Desde Su Inicio: Una Visión Transdisciplinar Desde la Biojurídica y Derechos Humanos
745 (Agustín Herrera ed., Tirant lo Blanch 2021) (Mex.).

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi,
El aborto en el Sistema Interamericano de Derechos Humanos: estatus actual y análisis de últimos casos
[Abortion in the Inter-American Human Rights System: Current Status and Analysis of Recent Cases],
in Una Visión Crítica del Sistema Interamericano de Derechos Humanos y Algunas Propuestas para Su Mejor Funcionamiento
23 (Max Silva Abbott ed., Tirant Lo Blanch 2019) (Chile).

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi & Jorge Andrés Oviedo Álvarez,
El caso Artavia Murillo y otros vs. Costa Rica (fecundación in vitro): la redefinición del derecho a la vida desde la concepción, reconocido en la Convención Americana,
in Artavia Murillo vs. Costa Rica: Análisis Crítico a la Sentencia de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos en el Fallo Sobre Fertilización In Vitro
27 (Manuel Ramos-Kuri ed., Centro de Investigación Social Avanzada 2017) (Mex.).

Related journal version: 75 Prudentia Iuris 135 (2013) (with Jorge Oviedo & Piero Tozzi).

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi,
Interpretación de los tratados relativos al derecho a la vida del que está por nacer en América Latina y el Caribe
[Treaty Interpretation of the Right to Life Before Birth by Latin American and Caribbean States],
in La Protección de la Persona Humana, Persona por Nacer
143 (Instituto de Investigaciones Jurídicas eds., 2017) (Para.).

Related journal versions: 9 Ars Boni et Aequi 53 (2013); 26 Emory Int’l L. Rev. 599 (2012).

Law Review and Specialized Journal Articles

Ligia Castaldi,
Inter-American Consensus on Abortion Rights in Light of Beatriz v. El Salvador and Other Inter-American Court Judgments,
27 Harv. Latin Am. L. Rev. (forthcoming 2026).

Ligia Castaldi,
Constitutional Law on Abortion in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Regional Consensus Towards an International Custom or a Peremptory Norm of Jus Cogens?,
57 U. Mia. Inter-Am. L. Rev. 41 (2025),
https://repository.law.miami.edu/umialr/vol57/iss1/4.

Ligia Castaldi,
Beatriz v. El Salvador: A Loss for Eugenic and Health Grounds for Abortion in International Human Rights Law,
29 Chrześcijaństwo–Świat–Polityka [Christianity–World–Politics] 11 (2025),
https://doi.org/10.21697/CSP.2025.29.1.01.

Ligia Castaldi,
Beatriz v. El Salvador: A Mixed International Court Decision on the Right to Health, Obstetric Violence and Abortion,
20 Intercultural Hum. Rts. L. Rev. 233 (2025).

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi,
El fallo “Beatriz vs. El Salvador” de la Corte IDH: Una sentencia mixta sobre aborto, derecho a la salud, garantías judiciales y violencia obstétrica
[The Inter-American Court’s Ruling in Beatriz v. El Salvador: A Mixed Judgment on Abortion, the Right to Health, Judicial Guarantees, and Obstetric Violence],
99 Prudentia Iuris 273 (2025) (Arg.),
https://doi.org/10.46553/prudentia.99.2025.11.

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi,
Litigio estratégico para el Derecho a Abortar en los Casos “Manuela y Beatriz vs. El Salvador” ante la Corte IDH: Resultados inusitados y posibles efectos
[Strategic Litigation for Abortion Rights in the Manuela and Beatriz Cases Against El Salvador Before the Inter-American Court: Unexpected Results and Potential Effects],
90 Persona y Derecho 187 (2024) (Spain),
https://revistas.unav.edu/index.php/persona-y-derecho/article/view/45216.

Ligia Castaldi,
The Slippery Slope of Abortion Rights: The Manuela v. El Salvador Infanticide Decision by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights,
21 Ave Maria L. Rev. 1 (2023),
View article.

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi,
El fallo Artavia de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos en su décimo aniversario: algunas reflexiones sobre el “Roe v. Wade latinoamericano”
[The Artavia Judgment of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on Its Tenth Anniversary: Reflections on the “Latin American Roe v. Wade”],
94 Prudentia Iuris 347 (2022) (Arg.),
https://erevistas.uca.edu.ar/index.php/PRUDENTIA/article/view/4351.

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi,
El caso “Manuela” y “las 17+” contra El Salvador: un fraude ante la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos y la comunidad internacional
[The Case of “Manuela” and “the 17+” Against El Salvador: A Fraud Before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the International Community],
17 Derecho Público Iberoamericano 13 (2020) (Chile),
https://revistas.udd.cl/index.php/RDPI/article/view/430/402.

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi,
Los casos sobre fecundación in vitro ante la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos: un análisis de sus argumentos de fondo y posibles efectos
[The In Vitro Fertilization Cases Before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights: An Analysis of Their Merits and Possible Effects],
6 Revista Internacional de Derechos Humanos (2016) (Arg.).

Ligia M. De Jesús,
The Inter-American Court on Human Rights’ Judgment in Artavia Murillo v. Costa Rica and Its Implications for the Creation of Abortion Rights in the Inter-American System of Human Rights,
16 Or. Rev. Int’l L. 225 (2015),
View article.

Ligia M. De Jesús,
Artavia Murillo v. Costa Rica: The Inter-American Court on Human Rights’ Promotion of Non-Existent Human Rights Obligations to Authorize Artificial Reproductive Technologies,
18 UCLA J. Int’l L. & Foreign Aff. 275 (2015).

Ligia M. De Jesús,
A Pro-Choice Reading of a Pro-Life Treaty: The Inter-American Court on Human Rights’ Distorted Interpretation of the American Convention on Human Rights in Artavia v. Costa Rica,
32 Wis. Int’l L.J. 223 (2014),
View article.

Ligia M. De Jesús,
Prenatal Rights Outside the Context of Abortion in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Comparative Analysis of Domestic Laws and Relevant Jurisprudence Following the Adoption of the American Convention on Human Rights,
8 Liberty U. L. Rev. 305 (2014),
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/lu_law_review/vol8/iss2/2/.

Ligia M. De Jesús,
Abortion in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Comparative Analysis of Domestic Laws and Relevant Jurisprudence Following the Adoption of the American Convention on Human Rights,
20 ILSA J. Int’l & Comp. L. 36 (2013–2014),
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/ilsajournal/vol20/iss1/1/.

Ligia M. De Jesús & María Inés Franck,
Aborto y derechos prenatales en América Latina y el Caribe: un análisis comparativo de leyes y jurisprudencia relevantes tras la adopción de la Convención Americana sobre Derechos Humanos
[Abortion and Prenatal Rights in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Comparative Analysis of Relevant Laws and Jurisprudence After Adoption of the American Convention],
10 Ars Boni et Aequi 11 (2014) (Chile).

Jorge Nicolás Lafferrière, Ligia M. De Jesús & María Inés Franck,
El derecho a la vida en una sentencia del Tribunal Constitucional Plurinacional de Bolivia
[The Right to Life in a Judgment of the Plurinational Constitutional Court of Bolivia],
3 La Ley Suplemento Constitucional 21 (2014) (Arg.).

Ligia M. De Jesús, Jorge Oviedo & Piero Tozzi,
El caso Artavia Murillo y otros vs. Costa Rica (fecundación in vitro): la redefinición del derecho a la vida desde la concepción, reconocido en la Convención Americana
[Artavia Murillo v. Costa Rica (In Vitro Fertilization): Redefining the Right to Life from Conception Recognized in the American Convention],
75 Prudentia Iuris 135 (2013) (Arg.).

Ligia M. De Jesús,
Interpretación de los tratados relativos al derecho a la vida del que está por nacer en América Latina y el Caribe: un análisis de las obligaciones internacionales, acuerdos regionales y práctica estatal pertinente
[Treaty Interpretation of the Right to Life Before Birth by Latin American and Caribbean States],
9 Ars Boni et Aequi 53 (2013) (Chile).

Ligia M. De Jesús,
Treaty Interpretation of the Right to Life Before Birth by Latin American and Caribbean States: An Analysis of International Treaty Obligations, Regional Agreements and Relevant State Practice,
26 Emory Int’l L. Rev. 599 (2012),
View article.

Ligia M. De Jesús,
Revisiting Baby Boy v. United States: Why the IACHR Resolution Did Not Effectively Undermine the Inter-American System on Human Rights’ Protection of the Right to Life from Conception,
23 Fla. J. Int’l L. 221 (2011).

Ligia M. De Jesús,
Post Baby Boy v. United States Developments in the Inter-American System of Human Rights: Inconsistent Application of the American Convention’s Protection of the Right to Life from Conception,
17 L. & Bus. Rev. Am. 435 (2011),
https://scholar.smu.edu/lbra/vol17/iss3/4/.

Ligia M. De Jesús,
La Convención Americana sobre Derechos Humanos: piedra angular del derecho a la vida del no nacido en Latinoamérica y el Caribe
[The American Convention on Human Rights: Cornerstone of the Unborn Child’s Right to Life in Latin America and the Caribbean],
1 Revista Internacional de Derechos Humanos 109 (2011) (Arg.).

Essays, Editorials, and Public Commentary

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi,
Legislatura de Alabama cede a presiones de industria de la FIV y revierte sentencia sobre derecho a la vida del embrión humano creado in vitro
[Alabama Legislature Yields to IVF Industry Pressure and Reverses a Judgment on the In Vitro Human Embryo’s Right to Life],
15.728 El Derecho 306 (2024) (Arg.).

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi,
IVF Provider Immunity in Alabama: A Challenge to National Conservative Unity on Pro-Life Issues,
Pub. Discourse (Apr. 17, 2024),
https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2024/04/94693/.

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi,
Se acerca el segundo aniversario de la sentencia del Caso Manuela contra El Salvador, un insólito fallo sin precedentes
[The Second Anniversary of Manuela v. El Salvador Approaches: An Unprecedented Judgment],
La Prensa Gráfica (El Sal.), Sept. 9, 2023,
View article.

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi,
Contexto del fallo Dobbs y de la derogación del derecho constitucional a abortar en Estados Unidos
[The Dobbs Decision and the Withdrawal of a Federal Constitutional Right to Abortion in the United States],
15.341 El Derecho 297 (2022) (Arg.).

Also published by Centro de Bioética Persona y Familia (July 4, 2022),
view article.

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi,
The Supreme Court Should Look at International Abortion Law and Overrule Roe v. Wade,
Pub. Discourse (Sept. 6, 2021),
https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2021/09/77719/.

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi,
Democratic Lawmaking and the Creation of International Abortion Rights,
Pub. Discourse (June 20, 2020)
(reviewing scholarship on judicial and legislative creation of abortion rights in eleven Western democracies),
https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2020/07/65499/.

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi,
El caso “Manuela”: una pieza clave en la campaña para legalizar el aborto en El Salvador
[The “Manuela” Case: A Key Piece in the Campaign to Legalize Abortion in El Salvador],
El Salvador.com (May 29, 2020),
https://www.elsalvador.com/opinion/editoriales/aborto/719040/2020/.

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi,
The 17+ Women in El Salvador: A Case of Infanticide Impunity in the Name of Abortion Rights,
Pub. Discourse (Feb. 10, 2020),
https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2020/02/59850/.

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi,
Infanticidio por aborto: El caso Manuela c. El Salvador ante la CIDH
[Infanticide in the Name of Abortion: Manuela v. El Salvador Before the Inter-American Commission],
14.668 El Derecho 8 (2019) (Arg.).

Also published by Centro de Bioética Persona y Familia (July 1, 2019),
view article.

Ligia Castaldi,
Abortion’s Legality Remains in Play,
The Remnant (June 21, 2017),
View article.

Also published in OSV Newsweekly, May 14–20, 2017, at 13.

Ligia Castaldi,
Double Standards on Abortion and Animal Rights,
Pub. Discourse (Nov. 29, 2016),
https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2016/11/17914/.

Online Commentary and Blog Posts

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi & Tomás Henríquez,
Pavez v. Chile: Freedom of Religion in Public Education,
Oxford Hum. Rts. Hub (Aug. 8, 2022),
https://ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk/pavez-v-chile-freedom-of-religion-in-public-education/.

Ligia Castaldi,
Inter-American Court Issues First Religious Freedom Decision, Breaking with the ECHR on Questions of Religious Autonomy,
Eur. Ctr. for L. & Just. (July 4, 2022),
View article.

Ligia Castaldi,
IA Court: El Salvador Ordered to Soften Its Ban on Infanticide,
Eur. Ctr. for L. & Just. (Dec. 2, 2020),
View article.

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi,
European Court Cited in Support of Abortion Rights in Inter-American Human Rights System (Again),
Eur. Ctr. for L. & Just. (Feb. 11, 2020),
View article.

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi,
Partial U.S. Sanctions on Inter-American Commission on Human Rights,
Oxford Hum. Rts. Hub (Aug. 2, 2019),
https://ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk/partial-u-s-sanctions-on-inter-american-commission-on-human-rights/.

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi,
Abolition of Social Grounds for Abortion in Bolivia,
Oxford Hum. Rts. Hub (Mar. 7, 2018),
https://ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk/abolition-of-social-grounds-for-abortion-in-bolivia/.

Ligia Castaldi,
Legalization of Abortion on Three Grounds in Chile,
Oxford Hum. Rts. Hub (Feb. 1, 2018),
https://ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk/legalization-of-abortion-on-three-grounds-in-chile/.

Ligia De Jesús Castaldi & María Inés Franck,
Inter-American Court Judgment Against Costa Rica on In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF): A Challenge to the Court’s Enforcement Authority,
Oxford Hum. Rts. Hub (Apr. 28, 2016),
View article.