The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Texas: UN human rights experts criticize heartbeat law

2021-09-07T08:56:01.084Z


The tightened abortion law in the US state of Texas is also causing outrage at the UN. The law is "discrimination of the worst kind" - and could be fatal for women.


Enlarge image

People demonstrate against the Heartbeat Act outside the Federal Court House in Houston

Photo: Reginald Mathalone / imago images / NurPhoto

UN human rights experts have sharply criticized the Texas abortion law.

It violates international law because it does not allow women to self-determine about their own bodies and endangers their lives, so the lawyer Melissa Upreti in relation to the Guardian.

It was "discrimination of the worst kind," said the chairman of the UN working group on discrimination against girls and women.

The law makes abortion unsafe and deadly.

Upreti warned that US state law could result in abortion providers operating in secret, causing women to engage in unsafe procedures.

These could also be fatal.

The human rights activist also criticized the American Supreme Court: "The law and how it came about - by the Supreme Court's refusal to block it on the basis of existing precedents - not only caused Texas to step backwards, it did in the eyes of the international community let the whole country take a step backwards. "

Supreme Court rejects urgent application

A law has been in force in Texas a few days ago that bans most abortions.

The so-called Heartbeat Bill ("Heartbeat Bill") forbids abortions as soon as the heartbeat of the fetus has been determined.

This can be the case as early as the sixth week of pregnancy.

Many women do not yet know that they are pregnant at this point.

The only exception is for medical emergencies.

The independent UN observer for violence against women, Reem Alsalem, also criticizes the US Supreme Court, according to the report.

She accused the five right-wing members of the court of potentially exposing women to violence.

It is particularly outrageous that the law also prevents an abortion of a pregnancy after rape or incest.

The US Supreme Court recently rejected an urgent motion to block the law, referring to "complex and novel procedural issues" in its reasoning.

US President Joe Biden had reacted indignantly to the law.

Like numerous women's rights organizations, the Democrat argued that the new regulation was unconstitutional.

It violates the 1973 Supreme Court ruling known as “Roe v.

Wade ”, which legalizes abortions nationwide.

His government is committed to constitutional law and will "protect and defend" it.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that he would systematically punish possible attacks on abortion clinics.

The US federal authorities would be ready to support if a clinic or practice that offers abortion is attacked, Garland promised in a written statement.

A law from 1994 forbade people who offer or use an abortion to prevent the procedure and, for example, use or threaten violence and intimidate those affected, it said.

Deliberate damage to property in practices or clinics that offer abortions is also prohibited.

svs / dpa

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2021-09-07

You may like

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.