Ireland’s restrictive abortion legislation exposes women to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and violates their human rights, the United Nations human rights committee ruled. The landmark decision is expected to set an international precedent by calling on Ireland to reform its law and introduce, among other things, "accessible procedures for pregnancy termination." Experts claim this is the first time that an international human rights committee responded to an individual complaint by recognizing that the criminalization of abortion is a violation of women’s rights.