Abortion rights in the US are under review at the UN

Transcript: Across the United States, courts are rolling back fundamental rights. Elected officials and their appointees are stripping away freedoms, especially from the most vulnerable. The right to control our bodies is under attack and those in power aren't being held accountable. As US officials turn their backs on communities across the country, the world is watching.

Every few years, countries undergo a human rights review by peer governments of the United Nations. It's called the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and in November, it's the United States' turn. This is the first UN review of the US since the Dobbs decision ended Roe v. Wade and stripped federal constitutional protections for abortion. Since then, attacks on reproductive freedom have only escalated. People are being punished for ordinary human experiences— for abortions, for miscarriages, for stillbirths.

Twelve states now ban abortion entirely. Many more restrict it early in pregnancy, some as early as six weeks, before many people know they're pregnant. The number of patients forced to travel out of state for care has doubled since the Dobbs decision. Others are forced to stay pregnant against their will, putting their health and lives at risk. Doctors face violence and lawsuits for providing basic healthcare. People have lost their lives.

The scale of this crisis led our coalition of 11 groups across human rights, health research and reproductive justice to submit a shadow report to the UN. It documents the erosion of sexual and reproductive health and rights in the US, along with testimonies from people living through it.

The facts are clear: the US is failing to uphold its human rights obligations when it comes to reproductive health and rights. Across the country, patients face overwhelming barriers. Many are forced to travel hundreds of miles and spend thousands on transportation, lodging, childcare and the abortion itself—costs and challenges that make access impossible for many who can't leave their work, school, their homes, or safely cross state lines.

In Texas, a patient with a non-viable pregnancy was denied miscarriage care. She was told to leave the state and was forced to stay pregnant for weeks, endangering her health and fertility. In Louisiana, Abdullah helped a 12-year-old incest survivor navigate shifting abortion policy restrictions instead of ending a life-threatening pregnancy. Young people are especially at risk, as minors in some states can no longer get court approval without parental consent. For undocumented people, checkpoints and surveillance make reaching a clinic nearly impossible without risking detention or deportation.

In another Texas case, a patient began miscarrying at 17 weeks. Doctors told her it would be a crime to intervene. They waited 40 hours for the fetal heartbeat to stop. She died of a preventable infection.

These are the real-life costs of unjust laws. The Universal Periodic Review is a rare chance to hold the US accountable on a global stage. Because reproductive rights are human rights and we can hold more than just the federal government accountable. We must demand that our local and state elected officials protect the right to bodily autonomy for all. Join us in fighting for reproductive freedom, dignity and justice for everyone.