Women Activists Escalate Demand for “Bodily Autonomy” as 19 Nations Dissent | Inter Press Service

Women Activists Escalate Demand for “Bodily Autonomy” as 19 Nations Dissent | Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, Jan 17 2020 (IPS) -
The United States and 18 other UN member states have come under fire
for denying a woman’s legitimate right to “bodily autonomy”—the right to
self-governance over one’s own body without coercion or external
pressure.



The Executive Director of Women’s March Global, Uma Mishra-Newbery,
told IPS the United Nations has worked towards progress in fighting for
women’s rights.

But many countries on the Human Rights Council continue to negotiate women’s human rights off the table, she pointed out.

In Sept 2019, she said, the world watched as the US, in partnership
with 18 other member states, put forth a statement saying there is no
international right to abortion.

She said UN member states have also witnessed “the continued and
grave human rights violations in Saudi Arabia”, including the continued
torture of imprisoned women human rights defenders like Loujain
al-Hathloul.

“Yet the UN and member states fail to hold Saudi Arabia truly
accountable for its actions. The UN must hold these governments
accountable as they work to strip women’s rights away without
repercussions”, she declared.

Beside the United States, the 18 countries singled out include
Bahrain, Belarus, Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt,
Guatemala, Haiti, Hungary, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, Poland, Russia,
Saudi Arabia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.