European lawmakers vote for a scheme to improve access to abortion: what it entails
Kyiv • UNN
The European Parliament has voted for a scheme that would allow women from countries with restrictive abortion laws to have free abortions in another EU member state. The European Commission is expected to decide on this proposal in March.
On Wednesday, the European Parliament voted for a scheme that would allow women from countries with restrictive abortion laws to have free abortions in another EU member state, UNN reports with reference to Reuters.
Details
The 'My Voice, My Choice' citizens' initiative proposes allocating funds from the EU budget to cover abortion costs for citizens of countries with near-total bans, such as Malta and Poland, or places where access to abortion is difficult, such as Italy and Croatia.
Although Europe is seeing a trend towards greater abortion access (the UK has decriminalized it, and France has made it a constitutional right), support for far-right parties, many of which oppose abortion, has sharply increased, the publication notes.
Following the parliamentary vote (358 votes 'for' and 202 'against'), the European Commission is expected to decide in March whether to adopt the proposal, although other citizens' initiatives have not been entirely successful.
Proponents of the initiative, including abortion rights activists and some MEPs from the left to the center-right, argue that it should reduce the number of unsafe practices and help women who cannot afford the procedure abroad.
Critics, including the far-right and some center-right MEPs, say the proposal contradicts national laws and traditional Christian values.
Under the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) mechanism, launched in 2012, the parliamentary vote is only advisory but can influence the Commission's decision.
Additionally
"Today we show the world, but first and foremost our citizens, that the EU stands with women. The EU stands for gender equality, and the EU is not afraid to uphold all human rights, including women's human rights," Swedish MEP Abir Al-Sahlani from the centrist 'Renew Europe' group told reporters in Strasbourg.
In Poland, where abortions were banned in almost all cases in 2021, abortion rights activists welcomed the vote.
"This resolution means that (Polish women) do not have to risk their lives in the Polish healthcare system," said Mateusz Biejunski, a lawyer for the Polish organization "Federa" (Foundation for Women and Family Planning).
Jerzy Kwasniewski of the Polish anti-abortion group "Ordo Iuris" stated that he views the vote as "contrary to European values" and expects the proposal to be rejected by the Commission.
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