Pressure mounts on Commission as 170 groups back EU abortion initiative

Commission faces 2 March deadline on ‘My Voice, My Choice’ initiative

Thomas Mangin, Euractiv
Feb 4, 2026

Pressure is mounting on the European Commission after 170 civil society organisations wrote to Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday, urging her to follow up on the “My Voice My Choice” initiative, which aims to facilitate and safeguard access to abortion across the EU.

The signatories seek to push the European executive to establish a support fund for access to abortion, in line with the demands set out in the “My Voice, My Choice” initiative. The Commission must decide by 2 March whether it intends to give legal follow-up to this European Citizens’ Initiative, which gathered more than one million signatures in 2025.

Continued: https://www.euractiv.com/news/pressure-mounts-on-commission-as-170-groups-back-eu-abortion-initiative/

04.02.2026

News

European Citizens’ Initiative

European Commission

funding for abortion

Hadja Lahbib

My Voice My Choice campaign

Civil society open letter to the European Commission in support of My Voice, My Choice

February 4, 2026

Today, 170 civil society organisations from across all 27 EU Member States published an open letter calling on the European Commission to respond positively and decisively to the European Citizens’ Initiative My Voice, My Choice. The signatories urge the Commission to commit to a concrete legislative proposal establishing EU financial support to ensure access to safe and legal abortion care within the EU, addressing persistent inequalities and cross-border barriers that continue to affect women’s health, rights, and dignity.

letter follows…
Continued: https://reproductiverights.org/news/civil-society-open-letter-european-commission-my-voice-my-choice/

04.02.2026

European Citizens' Initiative on abortion

European Commission

My Voice My Choice campaign

Europe

Activism

Human Rights

Listen: Can Brussels ensure safe abortion for women everywhere in the EU?

By Léa Marchal
2 February 2026
Podcast – 5:26 mins with transcript

Abortion bans pushed Polish women to seek risky or costly alternatives. Now the EU faces a showdown: can a new solidarity fund guarantee safe access across borders, or will politics block women’s rights again?

EUobserver is proud to have an editorial partnership with Europod to co-publish the podcast series “Long Story Short” hosted by Léa Marchal. The podcast is available on all major platforms.

Continued: https://euobserver.com/201035/listen-can-brussels-ensure-safe-abortion-for-women-everywhere-in-the-eu/

02.02.2026

My Voice My Choice campaign

Final push on abortion rights initiative ahead of Commission decision

Proposed EU fund would help women travel for abortion care

Thomas Mangin, Euractiv
January 29, 2026

With the clock ticking on a crucial Commission decision, the abortion rights initiative My Voice My Choice is mounting a final push to force EU action, as political battle lines harden in the European Parliament.

On 2 March, the European Commission must decide whether to give legal follow-up to the My Voice My Choice initiative, which seeks to improve and secure access to abortion across the EU.

“If the European Commission refuses, 20 million women will be left without access to safe abortion – left to die in hospital beds instead of receiving life-saving care. If they say yes, we will have won. Safe abortion will become a reality for everyone in the EU,” My Voice My Choice said in a statement.

Continued: https://www.euractiv.com/news/final-push-on-abortion-rights-initiative-ahead-of-commission-decision/

29.01.2026

News

Christine Anderson

European Citizens’ Initiative

Civic mobilisation for EU abortion initiative puts pressure on Commission

A European Citizens’ Initiative calling for EU action on abortion access will test the Commission's political radar

Xhoi Zajmi, Euractiv's Advocacy Lab
Jan 26, 2026

A European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) calling for safe and accessible abortion across the EU has secured strong backing from civil society, the Parliament and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), increasing pressure on the Commission as it prepares its formal response by early March.

At a recent debate at the EESC, organisers of the ‘My Voice, My Choice’ initiative presented the campaign as a response to widening disparities in women’s reproductive rights across the bloc, amid political backlash and uneven national access to care.

Continued: https://www.euractiv.com/news/civic-mobilisation-for-eu-abortion-initiative-puts-pressure-on-commission/

27.01.2026

News

Abir Al-Sahlani

European Citizens’ Initiative

European Commission

European Women’s Lobby

Irena Moozová

José Antonio Moreno Díaz

Mary Collins

Michel Chassang

My Voice My Choice campaign

Europe to vote on scheme to help abortion access

Dec 17, 2025

PARIS - The EU's parliament will vote on Wednesday on a scheme that would enable women from nations restricting abortion to terminate pregnancies in another member state free of charge.

The "My Voice, My Choice" citizens' initiative proposes ‍a fund from the EU budget to cover procedures for people from ‍nations with near-total bans such as Malta and Poland or places where abortion is hard to access like Italy and Croatia.

Continued: https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/europe-to-vote-on-scheme-to-help-abortion-access

17.12.2025

News

Elisabeth Dieringer

European Centre For Law and Justice

European Commission

European Parliament

Isabel Stabile

My Voice My Choice campaign

‘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/