AWARE says ‘no right can be taken for granted’ after Roe v Wade (women’s right to abortion) overturned in the US

Shock waves rippled around the world after the United States Supreme Court on Friday (Jun 24) voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, a decision made in 1973 that gave women the constitutional right to an abortion.

In Singapore, gender equality advocacy group AWARE expressed that it was “appalled and outraged by the overturning of Roe v Wade” and added that it was concerned over the most marginalised and vulnerable in society.

United Nations’ chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted that he was “concerned and disappointed” by the ruling, adding that it reduced both “women’s rights and access to health care”.

The overturning of the landmark decision has been condemned by many international leaders, including those from Canada, New Zealand, France, and the United Kingdom.

AWARE pointed out that abortion has been considered part of an individual’s rights under the law since 1974, as a preventive measure against a population surge and unsafe abortions.

“We are proud to say that Singapore’s abortion laws, albeit subject to certain conditions, sit confidently with those of other relatively liberal countries,” the group wrote, adding that “Singapore has, for the last 50 years, recognised that a woman’s decisions about her body and health are hers to make, in consultation with her doctor and her loved ones.”

However, despite the debased-long recognition of this right, AWARE said it recognises all too well that “no right—whether the right to abortion, to contraception, or to safety—can be taken for granted.

The reversal of Roe is a shocking uprooting of a landscape many believed to be set in stone. It shows that laws, and even constitutions, can be changed by powerful politicians or judges and that it is possible for countries to go backwards 50 years in one fell swoop,” AWARE continued.

The group added, however, that it is assured by the words of Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam in a debate in Parliament on Women’s Development. 

“The issue of a woman’s right to have a medical procedure, autonomy of her body versus a life… gets difficult when the issue becomes politicised… 

In Singapore, a woman’s autonomy is given considerable weight,” Mr Shanmugam said.

In addition to this assurance from the authorities, AWARE underlined that civil society needs to stay vigilant and carefully guard the ground it has won in the fight for equality, freedom, and autonomy.

“We must make sure that scientific information about the safety of abortion is conveyed in an accurate manner without fear-mongering, and that reproductive rights remain institutionalised and entrenched in our laws and constitutions. We must elect leaders who will protect these rights, and build an overall culture that respects and affirms the right of all individuals to make decisions regarding their own bodies,” AWARE added. /TISG

UN official blasts U.S. ruling on ending the right to abortion