Attacks on abortion rights 'catastrophic' for women's health

Isabelle Rome is France’s ambassador at large for human rights and a champion for SheDecides - a global movement for the right to choose.

The overturning of Roe v Wade in the U.S. in 2022, ended decades of federal protection for a woman’s right to choose.

Since then, we have seen the reinstatement of the Mexico City Policy, commonly known as the ‘Global Gag Rule’, prohibiting foreign NGOs from providing or discussing abortion care, even with their own non-U.S. funds.

When combined with the freeze on USAID and other gender discriminatory policies, the effects on global health are catastrophic.

Vital healthcare services - including HIV treatment, access to contraception, cervical cancer screenings and maternal healthcare - face an uncertain future as funding hangs in the balance.

This comes at a time when other fundamental rights are being stripped away from women around the world.

In Afghanistan, the Taliban regime has set up systematic and institutionalised oppressive policies against women, including exclusion from public spaces, professional fields, and schools, and a ban on women training as nurses and midwives.

Even in countries with more liberal policies, there is a growing threat to reproductive freedom. Far-right and populist politicians in Europe are increasingly challenging access to abortion and other essential reproductive healthcare services – a stark reminder that these rights are not guaranteed and must be continually protected.

In this context, the historic decision by the French parliament to enshrine a woman’s guaranteed freedom to resort to voluntary termination of pregnancy is significant. This landmark decision, made on International Women's Day last year, sent a powerful message to the world: bodily autonomy is a human right.

While women in France have had a legal right to abortion since 1975, politicians from across the spectrum recognised the importance of giving it the highest level of legal protection possible to ensure the right will never be taken away. 

We did so because we know that reproductive rights are the bedrock of gender equality. The right to decide whether and when to have children is a fundamental human right. Every woman deserves the freedom to control her body, decide on her future, access healthcare, and live a life free from violence and discrimination.

Denying abortion rights threatens these essential freedoms and perpetuates inequality. 

Meanwhile, anti-abortion groups, emboldened by significant funding exceeding $1.4 billion in the U.S. alone, are actively working to undermine reproductive rights worldwide.

This coordinated effort, coupled with declining global funding for sexual and reproductive health, poses a serious threat to access to essential healthcare for women and girls - in all their diversity. 

Yet, evidence shows that restrictive reproductive policies do not stop abortions from happening - they just force women to resort to unsafe methods.

Each year, an estimated 33 million people undergo unsafe abortions, resulting in millions of preventable deaths around the world. The most effective way to prevent unsafe abortions is to protect the fundamental right to choose and provide safe and accessible services for everyone.

As we mark the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action - where all countries committed to advancing gender equality and recognised reproductive rights as human rights - it's clear that much work remains.

As governments gathered in New York for the 69th Commission on the Status of Women in the United Nations in March, it was clear that the need to defend reproductive rights has never been greater.

Nations must work together to build lasting systemic change. In these challenging times, it is important that those working to achieve gender equality support one another and share learning and insights that can help move everyone forward.

This is especially key given the global funding environment, with declining levels of official development assistance (ODA), including for sexual and reproductive health and rights. Currently, only 4% of ODA is committed specifically to objectives focused on gender equality. This is not good enough. 

France, as co-leader of the action coalition of the Generation Equality Forum on bodily autonomy and sexual and reproductive health and rights, made a number of commitments in 2021, including 400 million euros to sexual and reproductive health and rights over five years.

These proactive measures and vital partnerships are examples of what the global community can do together.

The International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), which begins in June, provides an opportunity for governments and the private sector to secure funding, and send a clear message that gender equality and reproductive health are priorities for the global community.

Gender equality is not optional; it is essential to a thriving future for us all.