Despite Opposition From Bishops, EU Deems Abortion A ‘Fundamental Right’
Despite opposition from Catholic bishops across the continent, the European Union voted on Thursday to enshrine access to abortion as a “fundamental right” in its charter.
The proposal — approved 336 votes for to 163 against — was passed in Brussels with support coming from left-wing and centrist members.
“The right to abortion is not a question of point of view,” Manon Aubry, a French politician who represents the left-wing populist party La France Insoumise, told the EU Parliament. "It’s a human right.”
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Right-wing lawmakers joined Catholic bishops in opposing the measure. The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union voiced opposition to the proposal.
“Abortion can never be a fundamental right. The right to life is the fundamental pillar of all other human rights, especially the right to life of the most vulnerable, fragile and defenceless, like the unborn child in the womb of the mother, the migrant, the old, the person with disabilities and the sick,” COMECE said in a two-page statement ahead of the vote.
The statement added, “The European Union cannot impose on others, inside and outside its borders, ideological positions on the human person, sexuality and gender, marriage and family.”
The resolution to include this right in its charter, however, is largely symbolic. In fact, the proposal that passed cannot be imposed on the EU’s 27 members. In order for that to happen, all members would need to approve it in order to be included in its charter.
In a statement on its website, the EU Parliament said: “[Members] are concerned about the significant surge in funding for anti-gender and anti-choice groups around the world, including in the EU. They call on the commission to ensure that organizations working against gender equality and women’s rights, including reproductive rights, do not receive EU funding. Member states and local governments must increase their spending on programs and subsidies to healthcare and family planning services.”
The European Parliament is a legislative body made up of 705 members from across the continent’s member states. Representatives are elected directly by voters of each member state.
Abortion currently remains restricted in a few member states — such as Poland and Malta — while France became the first EU member to enshrine abortion as a right in its constitution just last month.
Many European nations, with deep Catholic roots such as Italy, currently restrict abortion anywhere between 12 to 14 weeks of pregnancy.
The abortion debate in Europe comes amid increased attention on the issue in the United States and this current electoral cycle after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Earlier this week, former President Trump, the Republican nominee for president, said he believes abortion limits should be left to the states, outlining his position in a video in which he declined to endorse a national ban.
Clemente Lisi is the executive editor of Religion Unplugged. He previously served as deputy head of news at the New York Daily News and a longtime reporter at The New York Post. Follow him on X @ClementeLisi.