The U.S. Is Breaking International Human Rights Law on Abortion

The U.S. Supreme Court’s anti-abortion ruling in 2022 violates the human rights to equality and nondiscrimination, the right to privacy, the right to life, the right to health and the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. We can use international legal remedies to hold the United States accountable for eroding abortion rights and, therefore, women and gender expansive people's human rights.

Make no mistake: Forced pregnancy—when someone becomes pregnant without having sought or desired it—and denied, delayed or inaccessible abortions are wrong under any circumstance. But when it comes to rape or incest (although, in reality, nearly all instances of incest are also instances of rape), forcing a victim to carry a pregnancy to term by denying them access to abortion is nothing short of cruel and inhumane treatment.

SOURCE: Ms. • AUTHOR: Jorie Dugan and Emma Stoskopf-Ehrlich • LAST UPDATED: July 13, 2022