Brussels, 9 June 2022
MEPs condemn the backsliding in women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide including in the US and some EU countries, calling for safe access to abortion.
Following a plenary debate on Wednesday, MEPs adopted a resolution on Thursday by 364 votes in favour, 154 against and 37 abstentions reminding the United States Supreme Court that it is vital to uphold the landmark case of Roe vWade(1973), which protects the right to abortion in the US Constitution.
They urge US President Biden and his administration to ensure access to safe and legal abortion. MEPs reiterate their call on the Government of Texas to swiftly repeal Senate Bill 8 and call on several other US states with similar laws to bring their legislation in line with internationally protected women’s human rights.
Bans and other restrictions on abortion disproportionately affect women in poverty, MEPs, say, stressing that women who, due to financial or logistical barriers, cannot afford to travel to reproductive health clinics in neighbouring states or countries, are at greater risk of undergoing unsafe and life-threatening procedures.
Consequences of a US ban on abortion for women worldwide
Deeply concerned about the potential consequences worldwide should Roe v Wade be overturned, MEPs highlight that countries heavily dependent on US aid for public health programmes could reverse their commitment to abortion provision and other reproductive rights. The European External Action Service, the Commission and all EU countries should compensate for any possible reduction in US funding to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) globally, and strongly advocate and prioritise universal access to safe and legal abortion in their external relations. Parliament proposes that medical professionals who risk legal or other forms of harassment be offered a safe haven.
EU countries must decriminalise abortion
Turning their attention to EU countries, MEPs urge member states to decriminalise abortion and remove and combat obstacles to safe and legal abortion and access to SRHR services, which should be guaranteed without discrimination. Medical practitioners should not deny women access to abortion care on grounds of religion or conscience, as this can endanger the patient’s life.
Background
The US Supreme Court could vote to overturn guaranteed nationwide protection of abortion rights. This would allow each US state to decide whether to restrict or ban abortion.
Almost all deaths stemming from unsafe abortions occur in countries where abortion is severely restricted. Were a ban to take effect, it is estimated that the annual number of maternal deaths in the US due to unsafe abortions would increase by 21% by the second year.
Source: European Parliament
Further voices:
Speech delivered by Executive Vice-President for An Economy that Works for People, Valdis Dombrovskis
Strasbourg, 8 June 2022
Representing High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell at the EP Plenary debate on on Abortion Rights
Check against delivery!
Madam Chair, Madam Minister [for Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunities of France, Isabelle Rome], Honourable Members [of the European Parliament],
We welcome this opportunity to discuss the global situation regarding abortion. In the United States, the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling has guaranteed the access to abortion for almost 50 years. If the Supreme Court [of the United States] overrules Roe v. Wade, it would be a profound retrogression of a well-established constitutional right.
President [of the United States, Joe] Biden said such a decision would be radical and mark a “fundamental shift” in the US law and put other rights into question, namely women’s access to reproductive healthcare and control over their own lives and bodies. We fully share this concern, and indeed, consequences would be radical not only for the United States, but globally. This could notably lead to an increase of unsafe abortions. According to the World Health Organisation, around 45% of all abortions are unsafe, of which 97% take place in developing countries. Unsafe abortion is a leading – but preventable – cause of maternal deaths and morbidities.
The global trend over the past decades has been towards repeal of abortion bans. In the past 25 years, over 60 countries around the world have liberalised their laws and policies on abortion.
The EU remains committed to being a leader on sexual and reproductive health and rights – an essential part of realising human rights. Our high ambition is clear in the EU Gender Action Plan III in External Action 2021–2025 and reflected in the European Consensus on Development.
Concretely, the [European] Commission provides support to Member States in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals pertaining to this area. At the global level, we support interventions at bilateral, regional and global levels. The EU partners closely with the United Nations Population Fund and civil society actors working in this area. At the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the EU has been a staunch supporter of sexual and reproductive health and rights.
There is a continued need for engagement with our partner countries bilaterally, such as through human rights dialogues, and in multilateral fora, as well as through our global programmatic funding.
Thank you.
Link to the video (starting at 07:33): https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-226281
Closing remarks
Madam Chair, Honourable Members,
The debate today testifies your continued important engagement on sexual and reproductive health and rights, and notably abortion.
Our focus must be both internal and external in countering the pushback.
Within the EU, the [European] Commission supports regular exchanges between Member States and stakeholders on gender equality, such as under the Mutual Learning Programme in Gender Equality and in the frame of its Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme. [The EU] continues funding civil society, including sexual and reproductive health and rights.
We continue seeking ways to do more and strategically respond to these global developments in policy and programming and in [our] engagement with states and civil society.
Thank you.
Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-226316
Renew Europe: Amend the EU Treaties to include the right to abortion
June 8, 2022
The draft opinion from the US Supreme Court aiming to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision establishing the constitutional right to abortion in the US is part of a global anti-women trend that is also taking place in Europe. In Poland, the PiS government is continuously looking for ways to attain control over women’s bodies, and in other EU States, such as Croatia, Slovakia and Lithuania, new restrictive laws are under discussion.
But we will not go back. That is why Renew Europe wants to amend the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the EU to include every woman’s right to abortion. In a resolution set to be adopted by the European Parliament tomorrow, our group highlights that by integrating the legal protection of the right to abortion into the EU Treaties, we ensure that all Member States enable access to the full range of sexual and reproductive health services.
Samira Rafaela (Netherlands, D66), Member of the Gender Equality and Women’s Rights Committee and Renew Europe negotiator on the European Parliament’s resolution on global threats to abortion, said:
“The decision of the US Supreme Court will not only directly impact millions of women and girls in the US but also encourage anti-abortion movements in the rest of the world. That is why we must protect the right to abortion in the EU Treaties. Once and for all, politicians worldwide must keep their dirty policies away from our bodies.”
In the resolution, MEPs also urge the US Supreme Court to establish nationwide legal protections for the right to abortion and ask the EU Member States to deliver all possible support, including financial aid, to US-based organisations defending and providing sexual and reproductive health services.
Source – Renew Europe (e-mail)