I know that you share my commitment to justice. I know too that you believe that every person, no matter where they live, should be able to fully realize their human rights. At Ipas, this belief guides our work to ensure that we are advancing women’s rights and reproductive rights, including to abortion.  

Right now, it looks like the United States is poised to strip away these rights, not protect them. The confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court bolstered this backward course we’ve been on for the last four years. Just this summer, the current administration attempted to redefine global human rights and last week sponsored a declaration insisting there’s no international right to abortion. These moves set us squarely at odds with so many other countries around the world. In the last decade, in fact, 28 countries have expanded legal grounds for abortion.

Now, with Barrett strengthening a solidly conservative majority, basic human rights to health care, bodily autonomy, freedom from discrimination and violence, and to abortion, are all on the line.

The backwards slide that Barrett’s confirmation represents is what we’ll keep working against through sustained, systemic, cultural and social change—in the US and in countries around the world. Reproductive rights, including abortion rights, are human rights. Everyone has the right to make informed decisions about their body and health.

That’s why we’re working toward a world where all human rights—including sexual and reproductive rights—are respected, protected and fulfilled. This isn’t about politics; it’s about values.

If you share these values, please support the work we’re doing. Right now, it’s more urgent than ever.