European lawmakers demand that abortion be included in EU Charter of Fundamental Rights

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07.07.2022 - 15:19

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euronews.com:

The European Parliament has asked for the right to "safe and legal abortion" be added to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and stressed denying the procedure amounted to a form of violence against women and girls.

"Women’s rights are inalienable, and they cannot be removed or watered down," they wrote.

The non-binding resolution, which passes with 324 votes in favour and 155 against, was a symbolic gesture of support for the millions of American women who stand to lose access to abortion after the recent ruling of the US Supreme Court that overturned the landmark Roe v Wade case and put an end to 50 years of a constitutional right to abortion there.

Several US states have moved to outright ban or severely restrict access to the procedure.

The resolution text begins by "strongly" condemning the US Supreme Court decision, which has sparked a political storm and deepened social polarisation, and then raises the alarm about the global backsliding in sexual and reproductive health rights.

MEPs point the finger at some EU member states that have put up significant hurdles in abortion access, such as Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Croatia.

They also name Malta, where the procedure is completely banned, as a case of concern. The small, Catholic country is under the spotlight after Andrea Prudente, an American tourist who suffered an incomplete miscarriage, was denied treatment by Maltese doctors and had to be airlifted to Spain.

In their resolution, lawmakers argue abortions bans and restrictions "disproportionality" affect women in poverty, women of colour, irregular migrants and LGBTIQ people, and say all these legal obstacles do not actually help reduce the number of terminations "but only force people to travel long distances or