European Citizens’ Initiative on abortion rights reaches milestone after hearing

Thursday 4 December 2025
By The Brussels Times Newsroom

The European Parliament hosted on Tuesday a hearing on the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) “My Voice, My Choice” on safe and accessible abortion for all women in the EU.

At the heart of the initiative is a concrete proposal which respects that health is a national competency: A European financial mechanism that supports EU Member States in providing access to safe abortion care free of charge to women without access in their own country and does not interfere with national legislations.

Continued:; https://www.brusselstimes.com/1867634/pro-choice-european-citizens-initiative-holds-hearing-in-the-european-parliament

Speech by Commissioner Lahbib at the Hearing on “My Voice, My Choice” Citizens Initiative at the European Parliament

Dec 1, 2025
European Commission

I would like to start by congratulating the organisers and supporters of this initiative. You have collected over one million valid statements of support across the EU and reached the minimum thresholds in 19 Member States. Well done.

You made ‘My Voice, My Choice: For Safe and Accessible Abortion' the twelfth citizens' initiative submitted to the Commission for examination. While promoting your initiative, you also helped raise awareness of the European citizens' initiative itself, something we are also working to do.

Continued: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/speech_25_2873

01.12.2025

Events/Campaigns

funding of abortion

Hadja Lahbib

My Voice My Choice campaign

Ursula von der Leyen

Europe

Human Rights

‘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

Inside Europe’s billion-dollar anti-gender movement

A new report reveals how groups critical of so-called gender ideology across the EU raised $1.18 billion to target abortion, sex education and LGBTQ+ rights.

By Federica Di Sario, Parliament Magazine
26 Jun 2025

For progressives in Europe, 2013 was a year of hope. France adopted historic legislation legalising same-sex marriage. Only a few months later, the UK extended similar rights through the Marriage Act. Portugal implemented a new law to protect transgender rights. And even Ireland — long a Catholic stronghold — introduced new measures to shield queer youth from bullying.

But 2013 also marked a turning point for a group of religious conservatives. Alarmed by what they saw as an erosion of traditional values, they began to mobilise. A decade later, activism once confined to the political fringe has evolved into a billion-euro operation seeking to defeat “gender ideology.”

Continued: https://www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/news/article/inside-europes-billioneuro-antigender-movement

26.06.2025

Commentary

Aleksandar Vučić

American Center for Law & Justice

Bert-Jan Ruissen

European branch of the Center for Reproductive Rights

European Center for Law and Justice

European Conservatives and Reformists

European Court of Human Rights

European Parliament’s Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality

European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights

French Fonds de dotation GT Editions

gender identity rights

EU commissioner’s women’s health vision skips over abortion issue

A new EU vision for the future of women’s rights skipped over the issue of abortion, which remains controversial across Europe despite being widely available.

Emma Pirnay, Euractiv
Mar 7, 2025

A new “roadmap” for the future of women's rights from the European Commission's equality commissioner, Hadja Lahbib, lays out her vision for women’s health. But a big question mark hangs over abortion.

Lahbib promised to improve equal access for medical care for women, including more diverse clinical trials, diagnostics and treatments during her Friday presentation of the European Commission's Roadmap for Women’s Rights.

Continued: https://www.euractiv.com/section/health-consumers/news/eu-commissioners-womens-health-vision-skips-over-abortion-issue/

07.03.2025

News

EU Charter of Fundamental Rights

European Commission's Roadmap for Women’s Rights

sexual and reproductive rights

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

Abortion rights initiative hits 1 million signatures, prompting EU action

The Citizens' Initiative “My voice, my choice,” calling for safe access to abortion in the European Union, has reached the necessary one million signatures for the EU Commission to issue a response.

By Marta Iraola Iribarren
24/12/2024

'My voice, my choice,' a citizens' initiative advocating for safe and accessible abortion in the EU, has secured 1 million signatures across the bloc and exceeded the required thresholds in 15 countries - more than double the necessary seven.

"We managed to connect the entire EU and build a network across Europe. Most importantly, we clearly demonstrated that the right to freely decide about childbirth is a shared value across Europe," said Nika Kovač, the campaign coordinator, in a press release.

Continued: https://www.euronews.com/health/2024/12/24/abortion-rights-initiative-hits-1-million-signatures-prompting-eu-action

24.12.2024