Israel eased its abortion access regulations in direct response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe vs. Wadewhich he criticized as a decision designed to “oppress women”.

“The rights to a woman’s body are those of the woman alone,” Israeli Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said in a statement Monday announcing the changes.

“The United States Supreme Court’s decision to deny women control over their bodies is a step backwards, oppressing women and setting the leader of the free and liberal world back a hundred years,” he added. .

Abortion pills will now be available at local health clinics called health maintenance organizations (HMOs) instead of just hospitals, in one of those major changes, reported The Times of Israel.

Those requesting an appointment for an abortion will now also have a shortened and simplified application process to follow.

Another significant change is the removal of the requirement to physically face a review board that approves abortions.

The process has been criticized by activists in the past for being humiliating and invasive for abortion seekers, although abortion is not as controversial a topic as it is in the United States.

There are only 38 such committees across the country and sometimes it takes longer for women seeking abortions to make an appointment, said The Times of Israel report.

Women generally face travel and time constraints to access the panels.

Experts, however, have pointed out that abolishing review boards altogether will require legislation that is unlikely to pass.

The new regulations will come into force in three months.

Announcing the new measures, the health minister, who belongs to a left-leaning political party, said: “We are in a different place, and today we are taking big steps in the right direction.”

“The reform we approved today will create a process that is simpler, more respectful, advanced and upholds a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body – a fundamental human right,” he added.

On Friday, the United States Supreme Court overturned deer, removing constitutional protections for women in abortion. The decision sparked widespread anger and massive protests in several US states.