Human rights groups urge UN to take action against restrictive US abortion laws News
© WikiMedia (Matt Hrkac)
Human rights groups urge UN to take action against restrictive US abortion laws

An alliance of several human rights groups Thursday published a letter calling for the UN to take action against abortion restrictions in the US.

The letter, signed by over 100 organizations and 49 individuals, argued that abortion bans threaten “women’s lives and health on a massive scale” while the “criminalization of abortions threatens to further affect the relationship between patients and their healthcare providers.” The organizations also stated that abortion bans and restrictions create difficulties for women who face health risks like ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages and increase the risk of “complications” by forcing adolescents to give birth.

Since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, “approximately 22 million women and girls of reproductive age” now live in states with heavy restrictions or bans on abortions, and at least three states have instituted “bounty” laws, “empowering private citizens to sue providers who carry out abortions.”

The groups wrote:

Eight months on from this catastrophic legal decision, it is now apparent that the consequences are even worse than feared. Women and girls in need of reproductive healthcare are being met with systematic refusals, huge financial burdens, stigma, fear of violence, and threats of criminalization. We urge you to raise these issues directly with the State in line with your mandates and to mobilize your constituencies to address this human rights crisis.

The groups also allege that abortion restrictions put the US in “violation of its obligation under the international human rights law” and agreements like the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) and the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT).

The coalition requested that the UN urge the US to uphold its obligations under international law.

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