Abortion Declared a Human Right by United Nations Committee

A case in which a 17-year-old was denied an abortion 15 years ago has led the United Nations Human Rights Committee to make an important affirmation.

From Mic:

In 2001, a 17-year-old Peruvian woman known as “K.L.” was denied a medically indicated abortion, although the fetus had a notably lethal anomaly and the abortion would have been legal. Now, over a decade later, K.L. will finally receive justice: She was awarded the financial compensation won in a complaint filed to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, marking the first time the committee has affirmed that abortion is a human right, according to the Huffington Post.

“It was a huge step toward justice for K.L. and a landmark decision for the UN,” Lilian Sepúlveda, one of the attorneys originally involved in K.L.’s case told the Center for Reproductive Rights.

Three months into her pregnancy, K.L. learned that the fetus she was carrying was anencephalic, meaning it would never develop a brain and would not survive, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights. Most women who receive this diagnosis opt to have an abortion, according to the Huffington Post, and abortion is legal when the mother’s life is in danger in Peru. Yet, the hospital denied K.L.’s request.