Abortion Rights Defenders Face Unjust Prosecutions: Amnesty International

Amnesty International, an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, has published a report to highlight the plight of abortion rights defenders, including healthcare workers.

Amnesty International released a report on Friday after interviewing 48 abortion rights defenders globally. In a report, the group urged the authorities to protect abortion rights defenders. 

The report found out that health care workers faced widespread abuse and criminalization for defending the right to abortion. They also experienced increasing difficulty in their work and were subject to stigmatization and unjust prosecutions.

Abortion rights defenders face unjust prosecutions

According to Amnesty International, abortion rights defenders have been facing unjust prosecutions because of legal criminalization of abortion in some countries.

Abortion rights defenders and health care workers are being stigmatized, intimidated, attacked and subjected to unjust prosecutions. 

Amnesty International said in a report titled, An Unstoppable Movement: A global call to recognize and protect those who defend the right to abortion, that many healthcare workers, women’s rights activists, advocates and accompaniers around the world face abuse, arrest, prosecution and imprisonment for supporting the rights of women and girls.

Abortion rights defenders and health care workers live in constant fear of being attacked and prosecuted. 

Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said, “The right to abortion is not an opinion. It is a matter of international standards and international legal norms. It is a right underpinned by many human rights.”

Criminalizing abortion contribute to 35 million unsafe abortions

Criminalizing abortion has led to the estimated 35 million unsafe abortions every year. Health care providers face harassment and abuse at the workplace for providing abortion treatments to women.

They also faced isolation, criminalization, violence and burnout for defending abortion rights. Amnesty report, based on close to 50 interviews with abortion rights defenders from all over the world, revealed that abortion rights defenders faced criminalization, harassment, stigmatization, verbal threats and violence.

Earlier this month, in a huge win to women’s rights, Ohio voters added abortion rights to the state’s constitution. It was a major victory for abortion rights defenders in the United States. Ohio Issue 1, Right to Make Reproductive Decisions Including Abortion Initiative (2023), was passed with more than 57% of the vote.