Above the the last three decadesmore than 60 countries have liberalized their abortion laws, while only four have done the opposite: Poland, El Salvador, Nicaragua and—of course—the United States. By overturning the Supreme Court Roe v. Wade in 2022, the US joined these authoritarian nations, making access to abortion nearly impossible in some states.
This ruling empowered only state-level actors to continue to restrict human rights, particularly access to abortion. Nearly 1,400 people in the US faced pregnancy arrest between 2006 and 2022, according to Pregnancy Justice. Arrests disproportionately affected blacks and Native Americans—especially low-income blacks—and low-income whites. This trend has only worsened from 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision.
The year 2024 is out of the question: abortion is health care and a human right. Revoking reproductive freedoms violates international human rights law. As local elected leaders, we believe that federal, state and local legislators must defend these rights, which is why we have introduced and passed human rights resolutions in Austin, Texas and Mount Rainier, Maryland.
Texas has become notorious for its archaic abortion laws. In 2021, SB 8 effectively banned abortion, allowing citizens to sue anyone who “aids and promotes” access to abortion. However, cities like Austin are fighting back. through it GRACE ActAustin prohibits the use of city funds to investigate abortion cases and directs police to make them a priority. The city has too allocated $400,000 to help cover travel expenses such as accommodation, transportation and childcare for abortion seekers, an initiative currently faces legal challenges by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Women like Kate Cox, who faced health risks during her pregnancy, sued Texas for its restrictive laws (although the challenge was was rejected by the state supreme court). The Center for Reproductive Rights has too filed federal charges against hospitals for denying care to patients with life-threatening pregnancies, saying it violates federal laws such as the Emergency Medical Care and Active Labor Act (EMTALA).
Maryland stands in stark contrast. The state has no abortion ban and abortion is legal at any point in pregnancy. In fact, last year, state lawmakers passed it Law for the Protection of Reproductive Healthprotecting health care providers from liability for assisting out-of-state patients and ensuring patient privacy. The law also requires all four-year public colleges to ensure access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion services, STD testing, contraception and emergency contraception.
Maryland also passed a shield law that protects abortion providers from investigations by other states and offers protection from harassment for anyone who enters a clinic. Additionally, the state is set to vote on a constitutional amendment to enshrine the right to abortion.
Despite the diverse geography and socioeconomic landscapes of our different states, we are united in meeting our political obligations by introducing human rights resolutions that recognize abortion as a basic health care and human right. When our legislation was passed, it became the first of its kind in our country.
As Latinas and women in positions where we can advance and protect the interests of our constituents, we are united in our belief that abortion should be safe, legal, affordable and accessible.
These resolutions are not symbolic at all. They are powerful statements that protect and promote sexual and reproductive health, reinforcing that abortion is a fundamental human right. They pave the way for individuals to have the freedom to make decisions about their pregnancy without unnecessary barriers or delays. It is a statement that all people, regardless of background, deserve full reproductive freedom, bodily autonomy and the ability to decide if and when to start or raise a family.
The United Nations Human Rights Committee has repeatedly I establish that abortion bans violate human rights and that the US has fell sharply of its obligations to a number of conditionsincluding the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Since the Dobbs decision, our country has been reviewed by two United Nations commissions, the Commission on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Commission on Human Rights. Both have called on the US government at all levels – federal, state and local – to uphold the country’s human rights obligations under these treaties, including the protection of sexual and reproductive health and rights.
These calls did not go unanswered. We as local leaders have a duty to defend human rights and fulfill the obligations of the treaties to which we are a party. This is why we introduced it our legislation and declared aloud abortion is a human right. The committees called on local government to act, and we did—now we’re calling on elected leaders across the country and at all levels of government to stand up for human rights and stand up to anti-rights extremists intent on eliminating all access to reproductive health care for people living in the US Stand with us as we recover Roe we could never give our communities: true reproductive freedom.
