Valeria Pedraza Benavides is a student of the 2024-2025 LL.M. in National and Global Health Law.
Currently, Pedraza Benavides serves as a lawyer in Colombia, She is focused on understanding how the law can protect sexual and reproductive health and achieve reproductive justice, especially for women and girls. She is also interested in studying conservative and religious opposition to abortion rights.
Before enrolling at Georgetown Law, Pedraza Benavides served as an attorney for Women’s Link Worldwide. While in this role, she was involved in the legal strategy of the Causa Justa movement, which achieved the decriminalization of abortion during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy in Colombia. She also litigated on behalf of women in vulnerable situations who were denied access to abortion and conducted workshops for grassroots organizations from Colombia, Central America, and the Dominican Republic on using strategic litigation to advance reproductive rights.
Pedraza Benavides has academic research experience from various research groups at the Universidad de los Andes, focusing on the relationship between religion and politics.
She holds an undergraduate degree in law and philosophy and a master’s degree in legal theory and constitutional law, both from the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia.