LONDON, July 5 2022-(Thomson Reuters Foundation)-
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to revoke a woman’s right to abortion could threaten efforts to liberalize laws in other countries and fuel calls to roll back progressive legislation, reproductive rights experts say.
They warned that the court’s bombshell ruling on June 24 would embolden anti-abortion groups and lawmakers in Africa, Latin America, and beyond.
It could also hurt funding for sexual and reproductive health services in developing nations, rights experts said.
“When America sneezes, the world catches cold,” said former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark, chairwoman of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (PMNCH), which is backed by the World Health Organization.
The Supreme Court’s reversal of the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide is expected to effectively end access to terminations in about half of U.S. states.
