In the U.S., Nothing Says Human Rights Abuse Like Ensuring Reproductive Freedom!

Do you live in a country with a government that helps to subsidize abortion, has a viable route for incoming immigrants, or that has any kind of diversity, equity, and inclusion policy in place? Sounds bad! But worry not; the U.S. is finally going to start calling those things exactly what they are—human rights violations. 

You read that right, the land of liberty has some new guidelines for what exactly it considers a violation for its next human rights report— an annual document that’s been outlining human rights abuses around the world since 1999. 

Per the new rules, which were recently shared with various embassies, consulates, and diplomats involved with putting together the report, the document will now flag countries with any policy that could be considered subsidizing abortion, and will also include “the total estimated number of annual abortions” for that country, according to the BBC. The report will also flag DEI policies in the workplace, as well as any policies that permit gender-affirming care for minors, such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy.

“The Trump administration will not allow these human rights violations, such as the mutilation of children, laws that infringe on free speech, and racially discriminatory employment practices, to go unchecked,” Tommy Pigott, a department spokesperson, said of the changes on Thursday.

An Orwellian reversal of meaning as countries with subsidies for abortion, trans-friendly policies for children, hate speech laws, DEI and affirmative action policies will now be considered to be violating human rights under rules imposed at the US State Department.
www.forbes.com/sites/maryro…

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— Snigdha (@snig.bsky.social) November 22, 2025 at 11:14 AM

— Snigdha (@snig.bsky.social) November 22, 2025 at 4:14 PM

“This latest guidance is chilling. It sends the message that the U.S. no longer believes in the foundational element of the human rights system it helped build with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR),” Amanda Klasing, Amnesty International USA’s National Director of Government Relations and Advocacy, said in a statement. She added that future reports will “cause real harm to women, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, religious minorities, and other marginalized groups around the world who are facing human rights violations.”

So, a brief recap. In the eleven months since our government decided to “give” and “take” our unalienable rights, we’ve seen vicious attacks on access to abortion; anti-immigration campaigns built on terror; and repeated rollbacks on DEI. And if that wasn’t low enough, they’ll now condemn any country that does the opposite. 

I know that in an infinite multiverse, there has to be a “worst” timeline, but does this one really have to try so hard?https://t.co/Su3467PyMW

— Sinistar Sinistar (@Hamstersbane) November 24, 2025

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is “abandoning decades of bipartisan U.S. leadership on universal human rights,” another official told CNN. “[He’s] replacing it with a dangerous theocratic ideology that has more in common with The Handmaid’s Tale than with the Declaration of Independence.”

In the 2024 report, which came out in August—after it was delayed for months while the State Department removed any category of violations not “explicitly required by statute”—it was clear these changes were already underway. The report’s entry on Palestine and Gaza was short and glossed over Israel’s blatant human rights violations, and the section on Russia and Ukraine seemed to be much harsher on Ukraine than in years prior. It also removed any mention of LGBTQ+ rights violations and abuses.

Further, Hungary and El Salvador—two of Trump’s favorite countries since their leaders suck up to him and accommodate his extreme anti-immigrant agenda—were said to have “no credible reports of significant human rights abuses.” (In the past, Hungary was criticized for “arbitrary killings,” and El Salvador was criticized for “enforced disappearance” and “torture.”) And in a seeming nod to Trump’s criticisms of Western Europe and their “censorship” of free speech, the report suggests there have been human rights abuses in Germany, France, and the U.K. because they regulate hate speech and impose rules like “safe access zones” (which block the area surrounding abortion clinics from anti-abortion messaging). I guess nothing says human rights violation to this administration like protecting reproductive freedom.

“Failing to adequately report on human rights violations further damages the credibility of the U.S. on human rights issues,” Klasing concluded. “And it leaves Congress and the public with unreliable information that could have catastrophic impacts on people’s lives.”

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