Thomson Reuters Foundation: U.S. policy traps women in poverty, and the world is watching
Risa Kaufman, director of U.S. human rights at the Center for Reproductive Rights

“The fact that 40 million people live in poverty in one of the richest nations in the world is a tragedy and a disgrace. A United Nations report delivered on Friday to the U.N. Human Rights Council makes clear that it also undermines fundamental human rights, with particularly harsh impacts on women. In short, basic health care is the foundation for reproductive health, and poverty represents a direct barrier to health care for those in the U.S. who cannot afford to pay for it. … The Special Rapporteur’s report makes clear the vast inequality and hardship that millions of people living in poverty face daily in the United States. It also makes clear that the government has an obligation to address these hardships and disparities. Health care, including access to reproductive health care, is a human right. Realization of the right, through law and policy, will enable all to live in dignity and equality, and to determine their futures” (6/22).