USA: Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade marks a grim milestone in the history of the United States

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. Wadeand 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. 

For more information on how you can join Amnesty in the fight for a world where all of us can make decisions that are best for our lives, please visit amnestyusa.org/abortion.