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

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

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

Far-right MEP kicked out of European Parliament debate for heckling

Thursday 18 July 2024
By The Brussels Times with Belga

Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, ejected a far-right Romanian MEP who disrupted a debate on abortion during the Ursula von der Leyen Commission candidacy discussion yesterday.

The new European Parliament has seen an increased presence of far-right representatives. According to recent reports from democratic MEPs, certain far-right members resort to intimidation tactics during speeches advocating for human rights, especially women’s rights.

Continued: https://www.brusselstimes.com/eu-affairs/1144812/european-parliament-roberta-metsola-has-far-right-mep-expelled-tbtb

18.07.2024

News

Diana Iovanovici Sosoaca

European Charter of Fundamental Rights

Abortion rights: An open wound in many European countries

By Alexandra Brzozowski and Raffaella Margaryan
Nov 18, 2020

Poland already had one of the strictest abortion laws in Europe, and is on the verge of tightening it even further. But a closer look at other European countries shows the trend does not go towards liberalisation either, while at EU level, the European Commission is legally unarmed.

The protest against a strict abortion ban in Poland continues and is now turning into an anti-government movement.

Continued: https://www.euractiv.com/section/justice-home-affairs/news/abortion-rights-an-open-wound-in-many-european-countries/

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT – Statement: Call on Ursula von der Leyen to strongly support and defend gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)

Call on Ursula von der Leyen to strongly support and defend gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)

Jul 19, 2019
by International Campaign for Women's Right to Safe Abortion

As Members of the European Parliament and representatives of MEPs for Sexual and Reproductive Rights and the pro-choice network ALL of US, we call on the newly elected President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to protect and further strengthen gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights in the work programme for the European Commission 2019-2024.

… Gender equality is enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU and the EU is further promoting gender equality outside of its borders. Attacks on women’s rights and gender equality are attacks on fundamental rights and values, including democracy and the rule of law. Conversely, everybody benefits from the positive effects of gender equality policies – socially, politically and economically. The value of gender equality is also close to the hearts of European citizens – according to a 2017 Eurobarometer survey, 91% of Europeans believe that promoting it is important to ensuring a fair and democratic society.

Continued: http://www.safeabortionwomensright.org/european-parliament-statement-call-on-ursula-von-der-leyen-to-strongly-support-and-defend-gender-equality-and-sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-rights-srhr/