The Prime Ministers of Denmark, Estonia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden have asked the European Commission to support a citizens’ initiative aimed at funding access to abortion across the EU. The leaders’ letter is addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is expected to respond. This was reported by Bloomberg,
“No one should be forced to continue a pregnancy against their will due to legal, financial, geographical or broader socio-economic barriers that undermine equal access in practice,” the joint statement said.
The organizers of the “My Voice, My Choice” initiative propose to allocate funds from the EU budget to provide financial support to countries that are ready to provide safe abortions to women who do not have access to legal abortions.
The authors of the letter emphasize that the initiative is an important step to guarantee the fundamental rights, dignity and equality of women in the European Union, and call on the Commission to define the mechanisms for its practical implementation.
In December, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the establishment of a fund to expand women’s access to abortion. Laws on abortion in the EU vary: from a near-total ban in Poland and Malta to liberal rules in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
In 2024, the European Parliament also supported a resolution demanding the inclusion of sexual and reproductive health and the right to safe abortion in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
