Strasbourg, 17/02/2003 (Agence Europe) - In its adoption of the report by Ulla Sandbaek, Danish MEP for Europe of Democracies and Diversities, the European Parliament has amended at first reading (codecision) the proposal for a regulation on aid destined for policies and actions on health and for rights regarding reproduction and sexuality. In these amendments, the Parliament requests that the measures covered by this regulation aim to reduce not only the mortality rate, but also the morbidity rate in childbirth. Projects eligible for Community financial aid should be specifically put together for the poorest and most vulnerable populations in rural as well as urban regions. The projects should include: - HIV and AIDS prevention and diagnosis; voluntary and confidential advice and screening services; youth education programmes; combating practises such as sexual violence, child marriages and forced marriages; provision of quality care covering the prenatal period, the birth and the postnatal period; and a reduction in the number of abortions carried out in dangerous conditions. The Parliament proposes a financial envelope of 73.95 million euros for the period from 2003 to 2006.
It is worth noting that in the vote on this report, the Parliament rejected several amendments by the Portuguese MEP José Ribeiro e Castro (UEN), aimed in particular at combating abortion. It thus rejected (181 in favour, 264 against and 11 abstentions) a text stating: "within the framework of the current regulation, abortion, which can never be considered as a method of family planing, cannot be considered as a service ensuring sexual or reproductive health".
-------------------