Elizabeth Heger Boyle is associate professor of sociology at the University of Minnesota, where she teaches course on sociology of law, human rights, and women's health. Her research and writing interests include cross-national analysis of legal activity, international law, immigration, and women's rights. Her current research project focuses on abortion politics in the global arena and looks at how transnational organizations like Planned Parenthood and the Catholic Church have gotten involved in shaping abortion policies around the world and the implications of their involvement on women.