(Geneva) The decision of the Supreme Court in the United States to bury the right to abortion will have a disproportionate impact on minorities, UN experts warned on Tuesday.
Posted at 12:19 p.m.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (Cerd) said it was “deeply concerned” by the decision of the Supreme Court of June 24 which buried a judgment guaranteeing for almost half a century the right of American women to abortion and has allowed several states to ban abortion.
Composed of 18 experts, this committee is responsible for regularly monitoring the application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Ethnic Discrimination by state parties, which the United States ratified in 1994.
After assessing the situation in the United States during public hearings on August 11 and 12 in Geneva, the committee released its findings on Tuesday. He underlined the “deeply disparate impact” resulting from the revocation of the right to abortion “on the sexual and reproductive health and rights of ethnic minorities”.
“This decision is very unfortunate,” said South African expert Faith Dikeledi Pansy Tlakula at a press conference.
She called on US authorities to address this “disparate impact […] on ethnic minorities, indigenous women and low-income people”.
Washington must also “take steps to mitigate the risk of criminal prosecution” against women seeking abortions and those who help them do so, she added.
It was the first assessment of the US balance sheet since 2014.
In a report, they compiled a list of questions on topics of concern to them, such as ethnic profiling, excessive police violence and unequal access to education, housing and a healthy environment.
During the hearings in early August in Geneva, the experts for the first time addressed the question of reparations.
Human rights advocates believe that the legacy of slavery and subsequent periods of exploitation, segregation and violence continues to be visible through policies such as health, education and housing.
In its report, the Cerd says it is “concerned that the tenacious legacy of colonialism and slavery continues to fuel racism and ethnic discrimination”.
Experts have urged Washington to create a “commission to study and develop proposed reparations for African Americans.”
US authorities have indicated their willingness to look into the matter, without providing a timetable, the experts told reporters.