EU proposal will ease access to abortion at the border for women facing a ban – National
The parliament of the European Union on Wednesday voted for a plan that will make it possible for women from countries that prohibit abortion to end their pregnancies in another country naturally.
The citizens’ initiative “My Voice, My Choice” proposes a fund from the EU budget to cover procedures for people from countries with almost total bans such as Malta and Poland or places where abortion is difficult to access, such as Italy and Croatia.
While the trend in Europe is towards easier access to abortion, with the UK legalizing it and France making it constitutionally liberal, there has been an increase in popular support for right-wing groups, many of which are anti-abortion.
After the parliamentary vote of 358 and 202 against, the European Commission will decide in March whether to accept the proposal, although the efforts of some citizens have not been completely successful.
Supporters of this program, including those who campaign for abortion rights and other members of parliament (MEPs) from the left to the right, say that it should reduce unsafe practices and help women who lack the money to carry out the procedure in other countries.
Critics, including far-right and some centre-right MEPs, say the proposal interferes with national laws and traditional Christian values.
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Under the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) mechanism introduced in 2012, the parliament’s vote is only advisory but can influence the Commission’s decision.
“Today we show the world, but above all our citizens, that the EU stands for women. The EU stands for gender equality, and the EU is not afraid to fulfill all human rights, and women’s rights,” Swedish MEP Abir Al-Sahlani of the centrist group Renew Europe told reporters in Strasbourg.
In Poland, where abortion is banned in almost all cases by 2021, abortion rights activists applauded the vote.
“With that decision, it means that (Polish women) do not have to risk their lives in the Polish health system,” said Mateusz Bieżuński, a lawyer for the Polish organization Federa (Foundation for Women and Family Planning).
Jerzy Kwasniewski, of the Polish anti-abortion group Ordo Iuris, said he considered the vote “contrary to European standards” and expected the proposal to be rejected by the Commission.
Ahead of Wednesday’s vote, opponents held events with the anti-abortion organization One of Us and the European Center for Law and Justice (ECLJ), a sister organization of the American Center for Law and Justice, which litigates abortion cases and was involved in the US Supreme Court’s 2022 overturning of the landmark Roe v Wade case.
“It’s sad that Europe is stuck in this way of thinking,” ECLJ director Gregor Puppinck said of the vote. “Our battle is first and foremost, and deep down we are convinced that life will prevail in the end.”
