Amnesty International warned the US on Wednesday ban abortion it would be a “massive human rights violation” at the federal levelA Republican senator proposed a nationwide veto for termination of pregnancy after 15 weeks.
“Make no mistake. This initiative is a national ban on abortion.. If it continues, it would be a major violation. human rights, The right to life, including the right to health, bodily autonomy, privacy and dignity,” said Tarah Demant, Director of Programs at Amnesty International USA.
Demant attacked the proposal of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who on Tuesday introduced a federal bill aimed at banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy in the United States. Exceptions in cases of incest, rape or danger to the life of the mother.
The South Carolina senator’s proposal has little chance of progressing, given that Democrats have a narrow majority in the Upper House and that even within the Republican ranks there is no unanimity around the project.
Amnesty International’s representative denounced that Graham was “trying to push the United States back by attacking the rights of women, girls and pregnant women”.
“It’s the decision of the pregnant person to advance the pregnancy, not the politicians,” she said.
Graham’s initiative, a staunch supporter of the former president donald trump (2017-2021) comes after the United States Supreme Court last June held the country’s constitutional right to abortion in effect since 1973, after years of pressure from conservative groups.
Since then, a dozen states, mostly governed by Republicans, have restricted or prohibited voluntary termination of pregnancy in almost all cases. The last one is West Virginia this Tuesday.
United States president Joe Biden has urged citizens to vote for Democrats in the November midterm elections to pass a law protecting abortion at the federal level.
The Republican leadership, which does not support Graham’s proposal, opposes the federal legalization of abortion because they believe it should be left to each state.