On Monday 1 September, the ‘My Voice, My Choice’ movement presented the European Commission with the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) ‘For Safe and Accessible Abortion’, supported by more than 1.12 million signatures validated in 19 Member States.
The aim is to call on the Commission to propose a financial support instrument for Member States in order to guarantee effective access to safe and legal voluntary termination of pregnancy for all women in Europe.
In a press release, the Commission pointed out that any action taken would have to comply with Article 168(7) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which preserves the competence of Member States to define their health policy and regulate how healthcare is organised.
The initiative is therefore not about recognising a European right to abortion, but about financial support to reduce inequalities in access.
At a press conference held the same day in Brussels, the movement’s coordinator, Nika Kovač, argued that “limited access to abortion is not only physically dangerous, but also mentally and economically dangerous”.
She further pointed out that defending abortion is not just about reproductive rights, but also about gender equality and social justice.
The Commission will be meeting the organisers in the coming weeks, before a public hearing at the European Parliament. It has until 2 March 2026 to submit its official response and specify any measures envisaged.
The initiative: https://aeur.eu/f/i7t (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)