This morning, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (JWHO), a challenge to Mississippi’s abortion ban that could decimate the right to an abortion established by Roe v. Wade. If Roe is overturned or further gutted, millions of people in 26 mostly southern and midwestern states could lose access to safe abortion.
Responding to oral arguments heard this morning, Amnesty International USA’s Director of Gender, Sexuality, and Identity, Tarah Demant, said:
“Laws and policies restricting access to safe abortion violate the human rights of women and people who can get pregnant, including the rights to autonomy and privacy; liberty and security of person; equality, non-discrimination, and equal protection of law; and health, life, and to be free from torture or other ill-treatment. Everyone should be free to exercise their bodily autonomy and make their own decisions about their reproductive lives, including when and if they have children.
“The United States Senate must take immediate action to protect the right to abortion and pass the Women’s Health Protection Act.
“The United States must not backslide in global gains in abortion rights and must ensure access to abortion and full bodily autonomy. The world is watching.”
Background
With Global Justice Center and Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International USA submitted an amicus brief to the court for Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization outlining the human rights concerns of the case.