Statement from U.S. Chapters of WGH on the U.S. decision to reverse Roe v. Wade
27 June 2022
Following the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, ending the Constitutional right for women and pregnant people to have an abortion, the U.S. Chapters of Women in Global Health (WGH) urge the passage of new state and national laws to protect women’s rights to safe, evidence-based health care. Banning abortion only impedes safe abortion. Unless states act, primarily women and girls, will die from unsafe abortions and pregnancy complications.
We will always stand with women and all pregnant people and their right to choose. People should have the right to choose the reproductive health services they want and access to those they need, and healthcare providers should have the right to provide those services without fear. We demand that the healthcare provider-patient relationship must be protected and that clinicians who provide reproductive health services are not punished by law.
U.S. WGH members will continue to fight alongside our fellow WGH chapters around the world to advance the fundamental rights of women and girls everywhere. Around the globe, countries increasingly recognize abortion care as an essential part of health care and the human right to bodily autonomy. The U.S. Supreme Court decision is contrary to this movement. This is a public health and equity issue since abortion bans disproportionately impact poor women, racial and ethnic minority women, adolescent girls, and gender non-conforming, non-binary, and transgender individuals.
WGH D.C., in collaboration with other US chapters, has conducted a series of policy forums with members of the Executive branch and Congress on a range of gender issues. In the coming months, we will host events and speakers’ series on matters of reproductive health, challenges faced by healthcare providers in the wake of restrictive laws on abortion, and other topics of concern. We strive to inform and mobilize local, state, and national advocates to mitigate the impacts of the U.S. Supreme Court decision on the funding and provision of sexual and reproductive health. We will also develop measurable indicators to hold officials accountable for action on policies and practices. We strive to ensure that all people have access to the full range of comprehensive reproductive health services and that providers are free to offer the best, safest, and most appropriate health care options available.
Access to comprehensive reproductive health services is a human rights issue for more than half the population, impacting the lives of individuals, their families, and communities as well as health security for all people.
