Zonta International Statement on the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade

News of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade this week reached Zonta International as its members gathered from around the globe in Hamburg, Germany, to discuss the continued fight for the rights of women and girls globally.

As an organization that has been working towards gender equality for more than 100 years, Zonta International is committed to upholding and improving the legal and health status of women at the global and local levels through service and advocacy. This decision by the U.S. Supreme Court takes away the rights of women in the United States to legally access critical reproductive healthcare, including safe abortion services, even as the U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate among industrialized countries. The impact of this action will be severe, especially for poor, rural, Black, Indigenous and LGBTQIA+ women.

In accordance with the Zonta International Statement on Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health, we urge our members in 62 countries around the world to advocate at the national level to ensure that all women and girls have access to the full range of reproductive health services. We cannot achieve gender equality for all women and girls if they do not have the basic rights to bodily autonomy. 

26 JUNE 2022