In response to today’s Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Tarah Demant, interim national director for programs, advocacy and government affairs at Amnesty International USA, said:
“Today marks a grim milestone in the history of the United States as the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade and stripped Americans of the right to an abortion. Millions of people who can become pregnant in the United States now face a future where they will not be able to make deeply personal choices that affect their bodies, their future, and the well-being of their families. This ruling affects each and every person in the United States, regardless of their ability to become pregnant. You know someone who has had an abortion. We all do, as approximately one in four women in the United States will seek an abortion in their lifetime.
“People will be forced to give birth. They’ll be forced to seek unsafe abortions. This is the outcome of a decades-long campaign to control the bodies of women, girls, and people who can become pregnant. And it paves the way for unprecedented state legislation to criminalize abortion, as well as other bills that will aim to strip human rights from people in the United States, including the potential for bills that will affect access to birth control, gender, and marriage equality as well as other anti-discrimination laws.
“Regardless of what the Supreme Court says, abortion remains a human right and states all over the world are still obligated to uphold that right. For our supporters and those around the world watching this moment with the same sense of horror and pain that we feel we say: whatever you’re feeling – anger, fear, betrayal, sadness – you’re not alone. You’re one of the vast majority of Americans who disagree with today’s decision. You’re one of 10 million people around the world who make up this grassroots movement for human rights. This is where our power and our hope springs from: We are the majority.
Ireland
Fiona Crowley, Interim Director of Human Rights at Amnesty International, said: “We must support and show solidarity with all those fighting for reproductive rights and justice in the USA. The overturning of Roe v Wade is the culmination of a decades-long campaign to control the bodies of women, girls, and people who can become pregnant. This campaign against women’s bodies and rights hasn’t just been waged in the USA, but across the globe, including here in Europe. ”
“This makes is especially critical that our Government here in Ireland strengthens our abortion law. Women are still being denied abortion care in Ireland, with many still have to travel for something that is their human right. The 3-year review of our 2018 legislation is happening right now. It must lead to a fully human right complaint law, so Ireland can shine as a beacon of hope.”
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