UN human rights experts denounced a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to strike down a decision nearly a half-century ago that protected a woman's right to an abortion.
They called on U.S. President Joe Biden to take necessary measures to "mitigate" the consequences of that the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Experts described the ruling as "a shocking and dangerous rollback of human rights" and said it will jeopardize women's health and lives.
"What has happened in the United States today is a monumental setback for the rule of law and for gender equality," said experts.
"With the stroke of a pen and without sound legal reasoning, the U.S. Supreme Court has stripped women and girls in the United States of legal protections necessary to ensure their ability to live with dignity."
Experts said the Supreme Court has completely disregarded the U.S.' binding legal obligations under international law.
The obligations, they said, include those stemming from the court's ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The experts said it is "ever more regrettably at a time when many countries have, in what is a positive trend, liberalized their abortion laws to respect and uphold women's human rights to life, health, equality and non-discrimination, privacy and freedom from violence and torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment."
They urged the Biden administration to issue executive orders protecting access to safe abortion and provide funding to states for the provision of safe abortion services.
Experts also want the administration to restrict measures aimed at limiting travel for abortion seekers and providers across state lines, among other mitigation measures.
And they noted that the restrictive new legal environment in the U.S. will not reduce an individual's need for abortion.
But it is guaranteed to increase the number of women and girls seeking clandestine and unsafe abortions.
Unsafe abortions will happen, particularly for women and girls belonging to racial minorities and living in poverty, and will fuel abortion stigma, leading to abuse of women needing post-abortion care, they said
"The intimidation and stigma that will be faced by pregnant women and girls in need of safe abortion services and abortion providers will create a nightmare scenario for those dealing with the uncertainty and trauma of an unplanned pregnancy," they said.
The experts also expressed concern about the lack of clarity on legal factors relating to abortion after repealing the Roe v. Wade decision.
It will now vary depending on where one resides and carry the risk of prosecution.
"We are deeply concerned about the plight of women who will be forced to leave their homes and travel to other states seeking safe abortion or who will be made to endure forced pregnancy and motherhood," they said.
