FIGO joins with health organisations around the world to condemn the overturning of Roe vs Wade
FIGO condemns the United States Supreme Court ruling to dismantle Roe vs Wade. This decision to roll back almost 50 years of access to safe abortion care is a catastrophic blow to the lives of millions of women and girls, and a decision that will cost lives for years to come.
Speaking on the landmark ruling, FIGO President, Dr Jeanne Conry, stated:
This ruling undermines our commitment to advancing the rights of women and girls around the world, and is a threat to gender equality and the bodily autonomy of millions. The United States now is out of step with the rest of the world, and fails to take into account the overwhelming global medical evidence that supports abortion as essential health care.
FIGO, in partnership with organisations including International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Ipas, MSI Choices, the International College of Midwives, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, has released a statement condemning the decision, and is calling on health organisations worldwide to become a co-signatory.
Dr Jeanne Conry continued, “the reversal of Roe vs Wade will multiply the number of unsafe abortions in the US, resulting in a rise in wholly preventable deaths, disabilities, and harms to women, their families, and communities across the country. And the impact of this decision will be felt on a global scale.”
Despite the ruling, FIGO will continue to call for the total decriminalisation of safe abortion around the world, on behalf of women and their health care providers. Abortion care must be treated like any other essential health issue in medicine, for which the standard of care is based on best practice guidelines, training and delivery.