Resolution supporting abortion as a human right introduced in U.S. Congress

A resolution condemning the criminalization of abortion in the United States and urging governments at all levels—federal, state and local—to uphold abortion as a human right was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on September 24 with tremendous support—96 original co-sponsors.

Representative Nikema Williams of Georgia introduced the measure, which also commends state and local governments’ leadership for introducing and passing similar resolutions in their states and counties—including Austin, Texas; Mount Ranier, Maryland;  Montgomery County, Maryland; and the towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro in North Carolina.

The resolution comes at a time when abortion is either banned completely, heavily restricted or under legal threat in at least 26 U.S. states in the aftermath of the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion that had been granted by Roe v. Wade.

“These restrictions are wildly inconsistent with the obligations of the United States under international human rights law, which recognizes abortion as a human right,” says Bethany Van Kampen Saravia, senior legal and policy advisor for Ipas US. “Instead of undermining human rights with restrictions that criminalize young people, mothers, and often those most struggling to access care and make ends meet—sometimes costing them their health, wellbeing and even their lives—the U.S. should be doing all it can to increase access to life-saving reproductive care, including abortion.”

ProPublica’s reports on the deaths of the two women in Georgia  said they died “after they couldn’t access legal abortion and timely medical care in their states,” adding that their deaths were preventable and that “there are almost certainly” other such deaths.

Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, Ipas has been working with partner organizations across the United States to document human rights violations related to sexual and reproductive health care access. In 2023, Ipas joined several other organizations in presenting evidence to the United Nations Human Rights Committee detailing these violations. The committee concluded that the United States is violating human rights by denying legal access to abortion and should take immediate action to fully decriminalize abortion.

“These violations are extreme but unfortunately not surprising,” says Anu Kumar, president and CEO of Ipas. “With the overturn of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. has joined a handful of autocratic countries bent on denying human rights and restricting access to abortion. The resolutions in Texas, North Carolina, and Maryland, along with the federal resolution, highlight the interconnectedness of local action and global human rights commitments. They send a strong message that state and local governments will continue to defend the rights of everyone in the U.S. despite mounting pressure from the anti-abortion movement.”

Florence Siman of the organization El Pueblo, which joined Ipas and Pro-Choice North Carolina in support of the “abortion as a human right” resolutions that passed in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, told local leaders there that she had witnessed firsthand the significant barriers to access posed by North Carolina’s restrictive abortion laws.

“Many people are having to drive longer distances to access clinics where abortions are performed, as most North Carolina counties do not offer these services. In addition, individuals are having to wait 72 hours, which may require that they miss work and incur expenses for lodging, food and perhaps even childcare,” Siman said. “As a Salvadoran and as an immigrant to North Carolina, I never thought I would have similar draconian policies here as we do in my home country.”

Austin, Texas was the first city in the country to pass an abortion human rights resolution. Its author, Council Member Vanessa Fuentes said, “We refuse to idly stand by as our fundamental freedoms are stripped away. With this declaration we make it crystal clear that in Austin, reproductive rights are human rights, and that we will relentlessly fight for the reproductive liberation of all communities. Equity and justice demand nothing less.”

Lucie Arvallo, executive director of Jane’s Due Process, sees the direct impact of Texas’s abortion ban every day as the organization works to provide support for young people traveling for legal abortion care.  “By publicly affirming that abortion is a human right, the city of Austin and champions in the House are working together to send a powerful message to young people that they deserve access to abortion care without shame, stigma, or lack of legal care available in their communities,” she says. “We will continue to fight until every Texan can exercise their human right to build their families when and how they see fit.”

Five members of Congress, each representing a state where local legislative action has either been introduced or passed to advance abortion as a human right —U.S. Representatives Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Troy Carter of Louisiana, Alma Adams of North Carolina, Greg Casar of Texas and Jennifer McClellan of Virginia—joined Representative Williams as co-leads in introducing the congressional resolution, which has 91 additional co-sponsors. The resolution is endorsed by over 130 leading reproductive health, rights and justice organizations.