Few issues divide leaders and policy-makers as much as abortion, which regularly sparks heated political, religious and philosophical debates. Numerous states choose to prohibit or criminalize abortion, despite the fact that it has been practiced throughout recorded history. In many of these states, women turn to unsafe abortion methods, such as consuming bleach or inserting a coat hanger, which may cause long-term damage or death. In the light of this tragic reality, one could ask whether these women have a right to safe abortion in human rights law or not. In order to answer this question, the author analyzes the status of abortion in public international law. The results are based on a thorough examination of the preparatory works (travaux préparatoires) and reservations to CEDAW, CRC, ECHR, and ICCPR, as well as documents by international and regional treaty bodies. The author applies a treaty-based international law methodology, analyzes the results through Hilary Charlesworth and Christine Chinkin’s theory of the public and private distinction in public international law and discusses the juridical- political context. The author concludes that there is neither an explicitly formulated human right to abortion, nor is abortion included within the right to family planning. However, she finds that domestic legislation which criminalizes or restrict access to safe abortions may be in violation of other fundamental human rights.

本文所要處理的問題為：「公共」的內容究竟為何？以及在福利國家的脈絡下公私之間如何互相滲透？本文採用Naomi Pfeffer與G. Majone的見解，將福利國家分為命令與控制型模式(command and control model)與規制型國家(regulatory state)。而這二種模式的差異可以由統治(government)和治理(governance)兩字得到說明，前者與命令與控制型相關，後者則與規制型相關。而所謂「治理」之概念，即一種國家權力向社會回歸的現象。本文以哈伯瑪斯《公共領域的結構轉型》為理論背景，探討現代國家職能由福利國家的興起與轉型之國家與社會關係與公私融合的過程。 / The main purposes of this thesis are: (1) discuss the transformation of the relationship of state and society under the process of “‘societalization’ of the state” and “‘stateification’ of society” through the rise and transformation of the welfare state; (2) examine the theories of “publicness”, “public/private distinction”, and the phenomena of “public-private mix” to study the mutual relation between the public and the private; (3) review and criticize the selected public policy. The public/private distinction has declined under the welfare state nowadays. On the topic of welfare state, this thesis applies the opinions of Naomi Pfeffer and G. Majone that divide the welfare state into the command and control model and the regulatory state. The words “government” and “governance” could interpret the difference of these two kinds of patterns: the former is relative to the command and control model, while the latter is relative to the regulatory state. In addition, the conception of “governance” indicates the process of authority returns from the state to the society. On the topic of public/private relation, this thesis adopts the theories of Jürgen Habermas in his book: The Structure Transformation of Public Sphere, through his ideas of public sphere and its relation among the intimate sphere and the state to explore the relation between the state and society. In practice, this thesis takes the case of turning the national university into the corporation (juridical person) in Taiwan, and introduces to the theories discussed above: see the university as a public sphere and its reform as the transformation of welfare state.