UN resolution declares abortion to be a ‘human right’

The United Nations adopted a resolution this month stating that abortion is a human right for women and girls. Titled “International cooperation for access to justice, remedies and assistance for survivors of sexual violence,” the resolution’s primary aim is to condemn “all forms of sexual and gender-based violence” while “urging all countries to provide victims and survivors access to justice, reparations and assistance.” Within the resolution, abortion is defined as a right that should be readily available to victims of sexual violence.

“Human rights include the right to have control over and decide freely and responsibly on matters related to their sexuality,” reads the document.

While more than 80 countries co-sponsored the decision to include language defining abortion as a right for women and girls, 33 nations fought against it, many of them African, including Nigeria, Uganda, Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Senegal. Representatives from Nigeria spoke openly against the language and lobbied unsuccessfully for amendments that would change it.

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