‘European Citizens’ Initiative on abortion rights real example of democracy in action’

Friday 31 October 2025
By Mose Apelblat

The European Commission has started to process the European Citizens’ Initiative 'My Voice, My Choice' on ensuring safe and accessible abortion in all EU, a Commission spokesperson confirmed on Friday.

As previously reported, the team campaigning for the Initiative met the Belgian Commissioner Hadja Lahbib, responsible for Emergency Crisis Management and Equality, a month ago. The team brought letters from EU citizens urging the Commission to propose legislation on financial support to Member States in providing safe abortion care for anyone in Europe who still lacks access to it.

Continued: https://www.brusselstimes.com/eu-affairs/1820935/european-citizens-initiative-on-abortion-rights-real-example-of-democracy-in-action

31.10.2025

News

Emergency Crisis Management and Equality

European Citizens’ Initiative

European Commission

Hadja Lahbib

My Voice My Choice campaign

European Commission to consider fund for EU-wide access to abortion

The European Commission will study a proposal to create a fund to help women access safe abortions when they cannot do so in their own countries due to restrictive laws, following a citizens’ campaign that gathered one million signatures across the EU.

By Paula Soler & Marta Iraola Iribarren
Oct 3, 2025

At 26 weeks pregnant, Mirela Čavajda found out her baby had a grave medical condition and would either be born with life-threatening conditions or most likely die before birth.

When Čavajda sought medical support in Zagreb, doctors at four different hospitals refused her request, some without explanation, while others said they could not confirm the diagnosis or did not have the necessary conditions to perform the procedure.

Continued: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/10/03/european-commission-to-consider-fund-for-eu-wide-access-to-abortion

03.10.2025

News

Andrea Prudente

conscientious objectors

European Commission

European Court of Human Rights

Hadja Lahbib

Izabela death

Mirela Čavajda

My Voice My Choice campaign

Petition to make access to abortion easier submitted to European Commission

With over 1 million signatures, the European citizens' initiative "My Voice, My Choice" submitted its request to the European Commission on Monday to set up a funding mechanism to make abortion more accessible.

By Gregoire Lory & Yolaine de Kerchove
Sep 1, 2025

The issue of abortion is making its way onto the European Commission's agenda. As part of a European citizens' initiative, the "My Voice, My Choice: For Safe And Accessible Abortion" movement submitted a petition with over 1 million signatures to the Commission on Monday.

The petition calls on the Commission to present a proposal to set up a funding mechanism to guarantee safe and affordable access to voluntary termination of pregnancy.

Continued: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/09/01/petition-to-make-access-to-abortion-easier-submitted-to-european-commission

01.09.2025

News

Anastasia Giamali

European Commission

My Voice My Choice campaign

My Voice My Choice: For Safe And Accessible Abortion

Nika Kovač

petition for abortion

Nawrocki win is ‘devastating blow’ for abortion rights activists in Poland

Any hopes to liberalize the country’s strict abortion rules are lost as the nationalist candidate secured a narrow win.

June 3, 2025
By Claudia Chiappa

Lawmakers and activists are warning that nationalist candidate Karol Nawrocki’s win in the Polish presidential election represents a “defeat” for women’s rights and further threatens abortion access in Poland.

Nawrocki, a self-described football hooligan backed by the right-wing nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party — and by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration — won Poland’s presidential election last weekend, narrowly beating centrist Rafał Trzaskowski.

Continued: https://www.politico.eu/article/nawrocki-win-is-devastating-blow-for-abortion-rights-activists-in-poland/

Going abroad to get an abortion, a struggle for thousands of women in Europe

“Exporting Abortion”, a transnational investigation, reveals that more than 5,000 women in Europe have to travel abroad each year to access abortion services due to obstacles they face in exercising this right in their home country.

20 May 2025
Francesca Barca, Translated by Ciarán Lawless

On 24 April of this year the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) My Voice, My Choice came to a close. The initiative attracted around 1.2 million signatures: a remarkable success for an ECI – a mechanism that calls the European Commission to propose a legal act in an area where the member countries delegated powers to the EU, provided it collects enough signatures. The campaign demanded a financing mechanism to guarantee safe abortion care for all those without access to such services.

Current laws and practices, it seems, are far removed from what civil society knows to be the reality.

Continued: https://voxeurop.eu/en/abortion-abroad-struggle-women-europe/

European Citizens’ Initiative on abortion rights hits 1.2 million signatures

Saturday 19 April 2025
Brussels Times

The pro-choice movement for safe and accessible abortion in the EU reached about 1.2 million verified signatures last week surpassing the threshold required for European Citizens’ Initiatives to induce the European Commission to consider new legislative proposals.

To be successful, a European citizens' initiative (ECI), EU’s main instrument for participative democracy, has to reach one million statements of support as well as minimum thresholds in at least seven countries. The initiative My Voice My Choice exceeded the threshold less than a year after the collection of signatures started. The collection period ends on 24 April.

Continued: https://www.brusselstimes.com/eu-affairs/1542870/european-citizens-initiative-on-abortion-rights-hits-1-2-million-signatures

19.04.2025

European Citizens' Initiative on abortion

Over 5,000 women in Europe have to travel abroad for abortions each year

Legal, bureaucratic and social obstacles are still faced by women, even if they live in countries where abortion is legalised.

7 Apr 2025

THOUSANDS OF WOMEN have to travel to neighbouring countries in Europe to access abortion care due to barriers faced at home.

A cross-border investigation, Exporting Abortion, exposes this stark statistic for the first time, following an extensive examination of data and personal testimonies across Europe.

Our analysis found that more than 5,000 women travel from their home countries every year due to the difficulties they face in accessing abortion care. In 2023, that number was at least 5,860.

Continued: https://www.thejournal.ie/investigates-exporting-abortion-europe-6666436-Apr2025/

EU decoded: Should access to abortion be harmonised within EU?

By Isabel Marques da Silva
28/01/2025

For more than 60 years, Europe has led a global trend towards legal access to abortion. Fears of a reversal of this trend have led to the campaign “My Choice, My Voice”, a citizens’ initiative calling for action from the European Commission.

The Commission is obliged to formally respond to the initiative's demand for a proposal to "ensure that all EU citizens, regardless of nationality or residence, have access to safe and legal abortion services", as the petition exceeded the legal threshold of 1 million signatures collected from more than seven member states, in this case 15 member states were covered.

Continued: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/01/28/eu-decoded-should-access-to-abortion-be-harmonised-within-eu

Election results show ‘urgency’ to get abortion funding at EU level, advocates say

By Lauren Chadwick
June 11, 2024

Women's rights campaigners say a surge in support for the far-right in Europe has made efforts to fund abortion at the EU level even more urgent than before.

Campaigners working to get a funding mechanism for abortion at a European level say the election results have made the effort even more urgent than before.

Continued: https://www.euronews.com/health/2024/06/11/election-results-show-urgency-to-get-abortion-funding-at-eu-level-advocates-say

11.06.2024

My Voice My Choice campaign

Europe

Human Rights

Politics

Abortion rights activists rally voters for EU election

Civil society groups are encouraging voters to stop a far-right surge.

MAY 24, 2024
BY CLAUDIA CHIAPPA

Activists behind a campaign calling for EU-wide abortion rights are urging people to vote against a far-right surge in the European Parliament.

Campaigners will gather Friday evening in Hénin-Beaumont, South of Lille in France, where National Rally leader Jordan Bardella and former leader Marine Le Pen are set to host a party meeting.

Continued: https://www.politico.eu/article/abortion-rights-activists-rally-voters-for-eu-election/

24.05.2024