The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to life, liberty, security and privacy of person.Sexual and reproductive health comprises all matters relating to sexuality and the reproductive system, and refers to a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing.All individuals have a right to make decisions governing their body and to access services that support that right.Further, all individuals have the right to make their own choices about their sexual and reproductive health, the capability to reproduce and the freedom to determine if, when and how to do so.The access to safe and legal abortion is a fundamental human right, protected in various international and regional human rights conventions and states’ constitutions globally. These instruments anchor safe abortion in a range of rights, including the right to life, liberty, privacy, equality, and non-discrimination, as well as the right to be free from cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.Restrictive abortion laws have been repeatedly condemned by human rights organizations as incompatible with human rights framework in practices.700 million women of reproductive age lack access to safe and legal abortion care. According to the World Health Organization, more than 20,000 women die each year from unsafe abortions and tens of thousands more suffer significant health complications.Legal restrictions on abortion do not result in fewer abortions, but rather force women to risk their lives and health by seeking unsafe abortion care.The legislation(s) on abortion thus not only provide information about where women and girls can have a legal abortion. They also provide information about the likelihood that a woman may die from an unsafe abortion, whether girls will complete their education, and how limited their opportunities are to participate in public and political life.Hence, legislation(s) on abortion provide indication of where women and girls are treated equally and have the opportunity to self determine the course of their own lives.
Comment: “Is “Universal Jurisdiction” applicable for crimes against person viz violation of a and b above, endangering life and security of a “person” over a systematic framework of denial of “abortion”, specifically in the event of the procedures deemed necessary, when mother is at risk, as a consequence of “unviable” human pregnancies?”