US abortion policies amount to ‘torture’, says UN commissioner

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US policies which severely limit access to abortions amount to torture, Kate Gilmore, the UN’s deputy high commissioner of human rights has said.

“We have not called it out in the same way we have other forms of extremist hate, but this is gender-based violence against women, no question,” Ms Gilmore said.

“It’s clear it’s torture – it’s a deprivation of a right to health,” she added, according to The Guardian.

Ms Gilmore’s comments come after a number of US states passed legislation curtailing the right to abortions.

At least nine states, including Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio have passed the restrictive laws, while similar legislation is being considered in several other states.

Georgia’s bill is one of the most restrictive, banning abortion after the point a foetal heartbeat can be detected, which can be as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.

Alabama’s law has banned abortion almost completely, allowing it only when the mother’s life is at risk or when the foetus has a fatal complication.

Under the legislation, doctors in Alabama who provide abortions can be jailed for up to 99 years.

None of the laws have taken effect and all are expected to be blocked by the courts, setting the stage for a Supreme Court battle over the right to a termination.

Anti-abortion activists hope to use the wave of legislation to challenge Roe vs Wade, the 1973 landmark Supreme Court decision which legalised abortion in the US.

“This is a crisis. It’s a crisis directed at women,” Ms Gilmore said.

The human rights expert said anti-abortion groups had launched an assault on “truth, science and universal values and norms”.

“You’re entitled to your own opinion, but you’re not entitled to your own facts.