MEPs’ debate on sexual and reproductive rights on Thursday 20 January reemphasised the divide between the positions of progressive and conservative political families, six months after the European Parliament adopted the ‘Matić’ report, which calls on Member States to decriminalise abortion and remove the obstacles still faced by many women wishing to access it (see EUROPE 12748/12).
These discussions were held at the request of the Social Democrat group in reaction to the election of Maltese Christian Democrat Roberta Metsola (see EUROPE 12871/1), known for her anti-abortion stance, as President of the Parliament. Ms Metsola, who opened the debate on Thursday, nevertheless expressed support for the ‘Simone Veil’ pact, an initiative that aims to promote the upward harmonisation of women’s rights in the EU (see EUROPE 12398/11).
The chair of the S&D group, Iratxe García Pérez of Spain, noted that sexual and reproductive rights go far beyond the issue of abortion. Recalling that the lives of thousands of women were at stake in Europe, she endorsed a slogan from the campaign that led to the legalisation of abortion in Argentina at the end of 2020: “Sex education to decide, contraceptives not to abort, legal abortion not to die”.
On behalf of the French Presidency of the Council of the EU, the Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clément Beaune, recalled French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal the previous day to extend the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the EU to abortion (see EUROPE 12872/1). “This is the time to show that rights are moving forward”, he said.
The Vice-President of the European Commission, Věra Jourová, said she was ready to cooperate with the French authorities in this respect. Mrs García Pérez welcomed the announcement. The Greens/EFA and The Left groups are in favour of this approach. And Samira Rafaela (Renew Europe, Netherlands) called on the Parliament and the EU Council to defend the Simone Veil pact.
At the opposite end of the spectrum from the progressives, Jadwiga Wiśniewska (ECR, Poland) denied that the right to abortion is a human right. “On the contrary”, she said, criticising the “ideological confusion” that the ‘left’ is trying to sow in people’s minds. According to her, “the right to life” of children, even before birth, must be the basic principle. “The Charter of Fundamental Rights should not be discussed”, she said.
Silvia Sardone (Identity and Democracy, Italy) redirected the debate by denouncing violence against women by immigrants. She regretted that Parliament is more interested in defending the language of gender equality than violence against women. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)