Canada’s Prime Minister calls the overturning of Roe v. Wade ‘horrific’

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke out this weekend against the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade, thus leaving the legality of abortion up to each individual state.

“My heart goes out to the millions of American women who are now set to lose their legal right to an abortion. I can’t imagine the fear and anger you are feeling right now,” he Tweeted on Friday. “No government, politician, or man should tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her body.”

Speaking to reporters from the Commonwealth summit in Rwanda, Trudeau added, “Today I think of those generations of women around the world and specifically in the United States who fought so hard to gain rights … and are facing this devastating setback,” he said. “It shows how much standing up and fighting for rights matters every day.”

In agreement with Trudeau, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly said of the SCOTUS decision, “This reversal of decades of hard fought gains will endanger the lives of women across the United States and jeopardize further rights. We must remember that no country is immune: Your voice matters. Your vote matters.”

Other world leaders and diplomats have also spoken out against the SCOTUS decision. UN Secretary General spokesperson Stefane Dujarric said this week, “…sexual and reproductive health and rights are the foundation of a life of choice, empowerment and equality for the world’s women and girls.” 

“It’s also important to note that restricting access to abortion does not prevent people from seeking abortion; it only makes it more deadly,” Dujarric added. “UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) tells us that some 45 per cent of all abortions around the world are unsafe, making it a leading cause of maternal [death].”