International condemnation has been swift following the US Supreme Court’s decision to upend the constitutional protections for abortion contained in the landmark Roe v Wade ruling of 1973.
The conservative-dominated court overturned the landmark 1973 “Roe v. Wade” decision enshrining a woman’s right to an abortion, saying individual states can restrict or ban the procedure themselves.
The US court’s decision was “a major setback” and a “huge blow to women’s human rights and gender equality”, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said in a statement.
A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said restricting abortion access does not stop people seeking the procedure “it only makes it more deadly”.
World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he expected more of the United State when it came to the protection of women’s rights.
“Abortion is a fundamental right for all women. It must be protected,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on Twitter.
At a news conference, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “I think it’s a big step backwards … I’ve always believed in a woman’s right to choose and I stick to that view and that is why the UK has the laws that it does.”
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the news “horrific” and asserted: “No government, politician, or man should tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her body. I want women in Canada to know that we will always stand up for your right to choose.”
Other world leaders expressed concern about the global consequences of the US Supreme Court decision.
First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon called it “one of the darkest days for women’s rights in my lifetime”, and said the immediate consequences of the court decision will “embolden anti-abortion and anti-women forces in other countries too”.
Former US president Donald Trump cemented the conservative majority in the Supreme Court by appointing three justices.
Opinion polls show a majority of Americans support abortion rights.
