The Supreme Court decision that permits states to protect the lives of unborn children “represents a major setback after five decades of protection for sexual and reproductive health and rights in the US through Roe v Wade,” said Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
“Access to safe, legal and effective abortion is firmly rooted in international human right law and is at the core of women and girls’ autonomy and ability to make their own choices about their bodies and lives, free of discrimination, violence and coercion,” Bachelet continued. “This decision strips such autonomy from millions of women in the US, in particular those with low incomes and those belonging to racial and ethnic minorities, to the detriment of their fundamental rights.”