British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the move “obviously has a huge impact on the thinking of people around the world”, calling it a “very important decision”.
“I have to tell you that I think this is a big step backwards,” Johnson told a news conference during a summit of British community leaders in Rwanda. “I have always believed in a woman’s right to choose and to hold that view, and that is why the United Kingdom has laws that it makes.”
The United States is already home to some of the more restrictive abortion laws among its democratic allies in the G7 and other international unions.
“The news coming out of the United States is appalling,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday. “My heart is with the millions of American women who are now ready to lose their legal right to abortion. I can’t imagine the fear and anger you’re feeling right now.”
“No government, politician or man should tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her body. I want women in Canada to know that we will always stand up for your right to choose,” he added.
French President Emmanuel Macron also expressed “solidarity” with women in the United States and called abortion a “fundamental right for all women” soon after his foreign minister, Catherine Colonna, called the decision “appalling.”
Spanish leader Pedro Sanchez said on Twitter: “We cannot take any rights for granted. Social achievements are always at risk of going backwards and their protection must be our day to day. Women must be able to decide freely about their lives. “
Protests took place in front of the US Embassy in London on Friday night, with other protests planned to take place across Europe over the weekend, including in Ireland, where the constitutional ban on abortion was lifted in 2018.
Until Friday, the United States was one of 56 countries where abortion was legal on demand, with no justification required, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
In the future, abortion rights will be determined by the United States, unless Congress takes action. Almost half of the states already have or will pass laws banning abortion, while others have introduced strict measures to regulate the procedure.
Prior to Friday’s ruling, the United States was generally in the company of other Western countries, as underdeveloped countries categorically ban or restrict access to abortion.
According to the Center for Reproductive Rights of the 36 countries identified by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs as developed economies, all but two – Poland and Malta – allow abortions on demand or for a wide range of health and socio-economic reasons. (CRR), which fights to improve access to abortion and monitors laws around the world.
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