Saturday 25 June 2022 12:24 AM Boris Johnson condemns US Supreme Court anti-abortion ruling as protesters ... trends now

Boris Johnson has condemned the US Supreme Court's decision to scrap the right to abortion in America as a 'big step backwards'.

The US Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that have been in place for nearly 50 years by deciding to overturn the landmark Roe v Wade ruling.

It is expected to lead to abortion bans in around half of US states.

The Prime Minister told reporters at a press conference in Kigali, Rwanda, that the move was a 'big step backwards', adding: 'I've always believed in a woman's right to choose.'

UK politicians from across the spectrum spoke out against the decision, including the SNP's Nicola Sturgeon, who said it will embolden anti-abortion and anti-women forces in other countries too.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: 'Today's devastating Supreme Court decision is a massive setback for women's rights in the United States of America. 

'The right of women to make their own decisions about their own bodies is a fundamental human right.' The SNP's Nicola Sturgeon said it will embolden anti-abortion and anti-women forces in other countries too. 

More than 100 demonstrators have gathered outside the United States embassy in London to protest against the decision to scrap the constitutional right to abortion.

One attendee arrived wearing a costume from the dystopian novel and TV series, The Handmaid's Tale, in which society is ruled by a fundamentalist regime that treats women as property.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called it 'devastating', and co-leader of the Green Party, Caroline Lucas, said it is a 'truly barbaric ruling, and heartbreaking news for women everywhere'.

Some UK groups have been quick to hit out at the ruling, with the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, the UK's leading abortion provider, saying it is 'appalled'.

Wen-Wen Lindroth, UK chairwoman of Democrats Abroad, the official organisation of the Democrat party for US citizens living overseas, said it was a 'momentous and sad day for the United States'.

Speaking at the protest, she said: 'I'm about the same age as Roe v Wade and, you know, I think a lot of women of my generation, we just took it for granted that the struggle for women's rights, you know, had come a very long way - maybe not all the way - but this was certainly one of the fundamental decisions that, you know, underlies our sense of equality in the US.

'So to have it taken way is very meaningful and it will impact women, you know, of older generations, of younger generations certainly, and it's just something that we're going to need to address politically and find a way to turn back.'

Chief executive Clare Murphy said: 'Banning abortion does not remove women's need to end a pregnancy. It simply makes it more difficult and more dangerous.

'We are calling on the UK Government to publicly condemn this assault on women's human rights, and make clear on the international stage that removing women's access to swift, safe abortion services has absolutely no place in any society that calls itself civilised in the 21st century.

'For our politicians to watch silently as women's rights are rolled back would be unforgiveable. We urge the government to show leadership as a matter of urgency.'

The charity Christian Action Research and Education welcomed the decision, saying 'the most compassionate societies esteem and protect' both mothers and babies.

Chief executive Ross Hendry said: 'Limiting access to abortion must be accompanied by appropriate support for women experiencing crisis pregnancies, and families raising children. This is what a true pro-life ethic looks like.'