United States undermine women’s rights in latest UN resolution on sexual violence

The UN Security Council adopted a weak resolution on the uptake of sexual violence in conflict. The Americans insisted on deleting any reference to sexual and reproductive health care for victims of rape and sexual violence from the text.
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The Trump administration is systematically undermining the consensus on sexual and reproductive health and rights. The administration wants to prevent any possible reference to abortion. With his entry into office the administration reintroduced the Mexico City Policy which prohibits American development aid to organisations which provide information on abortion or referrals to other organisations, even where abortion is allowed by law. 

France, the United Kingdom and Belgium, which currently has a seat in the Security Council, expressed their discontentment with the weakened resolution. France’s ambassador to the UN, François Delattre, stated: “It is intolerable and incomprehensible that the Security Council is incapable of acknowledging that women and girls who suffered from sexual violence in conflict - and who obviously didn’t choose to become pregnant - should have the right to terminate their pregnancy.”
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In the resolution, the Security Council expresses its deep concern regarding the lack of progress in the fight against sexual violence in conflicts worldwide, and criticised the ongoing impunity. Thirteen countries voted in favour of the resolution. China and Russia abstained from voting.