European Repro-Round-Up

24 June 2021

This week despite reported tensions at the European Union, where they have been voting on Croatian MEP Perdrag Matic’s resolution on the situation of sexual and reproductive health and rights in the European Union, the proposal sailed through Thursday’s vote in the European Parliament on Thursday with 378 votes in favour, 255 votes against and only 32 abstentions.

The resolution introduces the recognition of a “right to abortion” simultaneously with the abolition of conscientious objection. 

Gibraltar also went to the polls on Thursday in a delayed referendum asking if they agree with a 2019 decision by parliament to allow exemptions to the abortion law on health grounds. At the moment, there is a total ban on abortion in Gibraltar. The changes could allow abortions up to 12 weeks.

This prompted us to home in on reproductive rights in Europe. Countries in Europe span the spectrum of access to abortion with drastic variations in law and barriers to abortion care, there is much to be done in seeking the genuine, inclusive achievement of abortion rights across these countries. There is hope however in recent successes challenging restrictions and objection. 

Progress and the power of campaigning

In Europe, abortion on request is largely ‘available’ – six countries (six too many nonetheless) remain to deny abortion on request. Of course, there are complexities within this especially when laws entail restrictions or certain conditions for example, and legality most certainly does not guarantee access. But hope is to be found in the steps with which these legal obstacles are challenged. Thanks to pushes for change, various governments have recently pursued reforms to lessen harmful barriers to abortion access. 

The UK

There is another particular recent change that demands recognition– telemedicine. The UK has paved the way in abortion access in one of few positives to emerge from the global pandemic. Prior to lockdown, managing one’s abortion at home was illegal in the UK. Accessing a procedure required either going into hospital for a procedure or travelling to a medical institution to receive pills for a medical abortion. Both proved difficult obstacles for people whose citizenship status, undergoing of domestic abuse, or financial situation (a selection of many factors) posed barriers to accessing clinics. As of April 2020, measures have been introduced to allow people to take pills at home following an online consultation with a health professional. This revolutionises the scope and accessibility of provision, reducing travel time, expense, exposure, and discomfort. It allows for people to have better control over their choice and has reduced waiting times for appointments. Access and safety are key – and this is a step in the right direction! 

Slovakia

Slovakia proves an exemplary demonstration of such efforts over the past two years. In December 2019, votes on a new law which would have enforced a mandatory ultrasound for women accessing abortions was intercepted by an email campaign fronted by Amnesty. This proposed law was infuriating and vile to say put it lightly. There are no grounds to undergo an ultrasound for any medical reason. Again, the standard of choice comes into play. Just as no one should be forced to make a certain decision about a pregnancy outcome, no one should be forced to undergo any unnecessary procedures or such degrading treatment. As has been said time and time again, there is no such thing as ‘eliminating’ or ‘reducing’ abortions through such measures, these only increase the number of unsafe abortions. Dozens of activist groups united to counter this terrifying proposal and succeeded! Pressures from individual campaigners amounted to the law being voted against by a landslide majority. Such victories must be commended – change is a process, and such actions prove the power there is to be found in activism. Pro choice campaigns have surged in recent years across Europe and the community fighting for reproductive justice grows and grows. Simply put, we LOVE to see it!

Restrictions

Medically unnecessary procedural and regulatory requirements remain enshrined in many European country’s laws. These include mandatory waiting periods or counselling prior to abortion, the criminalisation of abortion performed outside legislation’s confines, and degrading third-party authorization requirements which devastates people’s right to choose, handing it to exterior opinion and political cycles. 

Poland

Poland’s laws form an example of this. Following legislation in late 2020, abortion is exclusively permitted in instances of incest, rape or when the person’s health is at risk. Abortion is thereby ‘legal’ on paper, but only in extreme circumstance. This is not what legal abortion should look like. This contributes to the concerning creation of the notion of an ‘acceptable’ or ‘ideal’ abortion. In reality, abortion in all its instances needs to be supported – no matter one’s reason. Having multiple abortions is okay. Already being a parent and having an abortion is okay. Having an abortion because your contraception failed is okay. The list goes on. New barriers and legal restrictions such as this result in forced birth and reproduce damaging stigma. This is a violation of human rights. We still need abortion on demand. 

Conscientious objection, difficult access and abortion bans 

Italy

Italy hosts some of the worst barriers to access in Europe. With the longest waiting period in Europe (7 days), the requirement of multiple medical appointments and mandatory counselling, restrictions here have resulted in delays and a build-up of demand that are simply incompatible with the legal time limits established by the law. As if this weren’t enough, conscientious objection (a stance taken by an average of 69% of doctors across Italy), has emerged as a massive obstruction to access. Abortion has been legal in Italy since 1978 on the grounds that the pregnancy isn’t beyond the 90-day mark and if it is, it is legal on grounds of severe foetal abnormality or if the pregnant person’s health is at risk. Yet, people often have to travel to other regions or even other countries to acquire services. The number of conscientious objectors is rising. This is thought in part to be due to gaps in doctor’s training regarding abortion and contraception in line with the powerful influence of Catholicism in Italian culture and politics. Threats to the existing 1978 law in Italy are growing and Italian’s legally protected right to access abortion is flailing against a surge of far right ‘pro-family’ propaganda. 

Northern Ireland

The abortion stats released in June showed that 371 people from NI travelled to England for terminations in 2020. It’s a significant decrease from 1014 in 2019, but many of the travel is wholly unnecessary given the worldwide pandemic and change in the law. But the health service is under-resourced and where clinics are open they are seeing increasingly nasty protesters, one Belfast clinic required a police patrol last week to protest those accessing care. 

Andorra, Malta, and San Marino

Abortion bans are still in place in Andorra, Malta and San Marino. People who do terminate their pregnancy face prison sentences – of up to three years in Malta for example. Anyone who assists helping someone access an abortion or performs someone is also at risk of a prison sentence and/or lifelong bans from medical work. 

These are dire human rights offences to bodily autonomy and are frankly terrifying. However, there are local activists working tirelessly to fight for reproductive freedoms in these countries. 

There is hope – people are standing up for the right to choose. Let’s keep fighting – take action and show solidarity where you can. Change can and will come! 

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By Lily Roberts, Student Engagement Officer and Social Media Coordinator