The head of the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday that access to safe abortions saves lives, after a leaked draft ruling indicated the US Supreme Court was considering ending access to legal abortions nationwide.
Without explicitly mentioning the US case, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that “restricting access to abortion does not reduce the number of procedures".
“It drives women and girls towards unsafe ones,” he said in a tweet.
“Access to safe abortion saves lives.”
His comments came amid a firestorm in the US, sparked by the leak of a Supreme Court draft ruling, which suggested the court was poised to overturn the nationwide right to abortion.
If the draft ruling is confirmed by the court, it would overturn the 1973 Roe v Wade decision, which granted women the right to abortion across the country.
Abortion laws would then be left up to individual state legislatures, with as many as half expected to enact bans or new restrictions.
For many women, the potential loss of abortion rights across much of the US raises the prospect of being forced to travel hundreds of miles for the procedure or giving birth in traumatic circumstances.
“Women should always have the right to choose when it comes to their bodies and their health,” Dr Tedros said.
The UN health agency issued new guidelines on abortion care in March, in a bid to help protect the health of women and girls and prevent unsafe abortions.
The WHO reports that about 25 million unsafe abortions are conducted around the world annually, with about 39,000 women and girls dying as a result each year and millions more admitted to hospital due to complications.
Most of the deaths happen in lower-income countries, with Africa accounting for a full 60 per cent and Asia for 30 per cent, data show.
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A person holds a sign reading "Women Will Die" as activists gather at the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC. AFP -
An anti-abortion protester speaks outside the US Supreme Court after the leak of a draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito preparing for the court to overturn the Roe v Wade abortion rights decision later this year. Reuters -
A protester holds a sign for the pro-choice Planned Parenthood organisation. AFP -
The Roe v Wade decision recognised that the right to personal privacy under the US Constitution protects a woman's ability to terminate her pregnancy. Getty Images -
A demonstrator outside the court. AFP -
A woman cries during the protests. AFP -
Demonstrators place candles outside the court. AFP -
Protesters chant slogans. Reuters -
Police installed metal barricades to prevent protesters from entering the court building. AFP -
Demonstrators use candlelight during the evening protest. AFP -
US Senator Elizabeth Warren joined abortion rights activists outside the US Supreme Court on Tuesday. Photo: Public Domain
