11 April 2024
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Right to abortion constitutes a fundamental right
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Member states must fully decriminalise abortion
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Stop EU funding to anti-choice groups
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Sexuality and relationship education should be available to all
MEPs urge the Council to add sexual and reproductive healthcare and the right to a safe and legal abortion to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
In a resolution adopted on Thursday with 336 votes in favour, 163 against and 39 abstentions, MEPs want to enshrine the right to abortion in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights – a demand they have made several times. MEPs condemn the backsliding on women’s rights and all attempts to restrict or remove existing protections for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and gender equality taking place globally, including in the EU member states.
They want Article 3 of the Charter to be amended to state that “everyone has the right to bodily autonomy, to free, informed, full and universal access to SRHR, and to all related healthcare services without discrimination, including access to safe and legal abortion”.
The text urges member states to fully decriminalise abortion in line with the 2022 WHO guidelines, and to remove and combat obstacles to abortion, calling on Poland and Malta to repeal their laws and other measures that ban and restrict it. MEPs condemn the fact that, in some member states, abortion is being denied by medical practitioners, and in some cases by entire medical institutions, on the basis of a ‘conscience’ clause, often in situations where any delay will endanger the patient’s life or health.
Education and high-quality care
Abortion methods and procedures should be an obligatory part of the curriculum for doctors and medical students, Parliament says. Member states should ensure access to the full range of SRHR services including comprehensive and age-appropriate sexuality and relationship education. Accessible, safe and free contraceptive methods and supplies, and family planning counselling, should be made available, with special attention paid to reaching vulnerable groups. Women in poverty are disproportionately affected by legal, financial, social and practical barriers and restrictions to abortion, MEPs say, calling on member states to remove these barriers.
Stop EU funding to anti-choice groups
MEPs are concerned about the significant surge in funding for anti-gender and anti-choice groups around the world, including in the EU. They call on the Commission to ensure that organisations working against gender equality and women’s rights, including reproductive rights, do not receive EU funding. Member states and local governments must increase their spending on programmes and subsidies to healthcare and family planning services.
Background
France became the first country to enshrine the right to abortion in its constitution on 4 March 2024. Healthcare, including sexual and reproductive health, falls under national powers. Changing the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights to include abortion would require unanimous agreement from all member states.
S&D Group: The right to abortion must be included in the EU Fundamental Rights Charter!
11 April 2024
Despite opposition from the right and the far-right, the European Parliament called today for the right to legal and safe abortion to be included in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. The progressive resolution adopted, with an overwhelming support from the Socialists and Democrats, reminds us that sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are fundamental human rights, which must be protected and not be watered down in any way. The resolution also calls on the EU governments to fully decriminalise abortion. This is our answer to the growing attacks on women and their rights by the far right globally and in Europe.
Once again, Members of the right and the far-right political groups in the European Parliament voted against women and their right to safe and legal abortion. They even presented their own alternative conservative texts of resolutions, but were, however, not adopted.
The adopted resolution urges the addition of the following article to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights: “Everyone has the right to bodily autonomy, to free, informed, full and universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, and to all related healthcare services without discrimination, including the access to safe and legal abortion.”
Fred Matić, S&D MEP and the European Parliament’s rapporteur on the sexual and reproductive health and rights in the FEMM committee, said:
“The right to legal and safe abortion must be carved into stone to be better protected against the far right’s relentless attempts to undermine and revoke them. It is unacceptable that there are still Member States in our Union that continuously deny their own responsibility in ensuring access to abortion. At the same time, the Council and the Commission are constantly hiding behind the poor argument of national competences. The lack of EU standardization in this area leads to the criminalisation of abortion, grave limitations in accessing it and clandestine abortion procedures.
“However, today I am very proud because we once again confirmed a clear progressive majority in this house standing on the side of women’s rights. It is not acceptable that, in the 21st century, some of our colleagues in the Parliament treat women as second-class citizens and actively work on revoking their rights. We need to ensure, promote and protect women’s rights, including their right to healthcare and abortion, and today’s vote is one of the first steps in that direction.”
Cyrus Engerer, S&D MEP and negotiator on this file in the LIBE committee, added:
“Today’s vote gives a clear sign on where the Parliament stands on abortion. It is time for the EU to be a place where abortion can be a reality for all women and people who can be pregnant to have full access to this basic fundamental rights.
“I am, however, very worried to see the anti-abortion movement taking root in far-right and populistic rhetoric, fueled by money coming from Russia and ultra-conservative religious groups based in the US, which are also the ones scapegoating the LGBTIQ+ community, and trans and intersex persons in particular.”
Source – S&D
Renew Europe initiative: EU Parliament demands abortion rights to be enshrined for all Europeans
11 April 2024
The right to safe and legal abortion must be safeguarded by the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, the European Parliament reaffirms today as it adopts a resolution pushing the Council to launch a Convention to revise the Treaty. Renew Europe initiated this request for amending the Charter already two years ago, in a bid to grant all European women the right to decide over their own bodies no matter where in the Union. In recent years, the right to abortion, still not a right in all EU Member States, has been under attack by far – right and populist conservative politicians, including in Poland, Hungary and the United States.
President of Renew Europe, Valérie Hayer said:
“Women’s rights must never fall victim to populism. While Europe’s radical right works hard to find new ways to push through their reactionary agenda, we need to remain a frontrunner and be firmer than ever in upholding women’s rights. It is time for the right to abortion to be enshrined in law for all Europeans. Your body, your rights”
The resolution calls on Malta and Poland to repeal their current bans and restrictions to abortion immediately. It also calls on Member States to guarantee access to the full range of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), such as maternal healthcare services, contraception methods and supplies and sexual education without discrimination. Furthermore, it should not be possible for health providers to refuse to provide health services on the basis of the so-called conscience clause.
Soraya Rodríguez Ramos (Spain), Renew Europe’s negotiator on the resolution, said:
“The right to legal and safe abortion is a fundamental right. The European Union has the responsibility to protect it for all European women by introducing it in the Charter of Fundamental Rights. We must not forget that our rights are worth what they are worth their guarantees and unfortunately, in recent years this has become evident with the worldwide backsliding on women’s rights and in particular sexual and reproductive health and rights. From Renew Europe, we will continue defending the right to legal and safe abortion for all women.”
Source – Renew Europe