‘Catastrophic implications’: UN health expert condemns US over threat to abortion rights

The Guardian reported on an amicus brief submitted by Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng, the UN’s special rapporteur on the right to health, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, an upcoming Supreme Court case reviewing Mississppi’s 15-week abortion ban in a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade. The Center is representing Jackson Women’s Health Organization in the case. 

The brief argues that if the Court upholds Mississippi’s abortion ban, the U.S. would be in violation of international human rights treaties it has ratified, including the convention against torture. Mofokeng states in the brief, “The denial of safe abortions and subjecting women and girls to humiliating and judgmental attitudes in such contexts of extreme vulnerability and where timely health care is essential amount to torture or ill treatment.” Mofokeng explains that Dobbs is important because anti-rights activists could point to the case as a justification for limiting rights in their own countries. 

The Center will argue Dobbs before the Supreme Court on December 1. 

• Read the full article about Mofokeng’s brief: The Guardian: ‘Catastrophic implications’: UN health expert condemns US over threat to abortion rights
• Learn more about the Center’s work in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.