The European Parliament will vote on a resolution declaring abortion access a human right and which demands an end to barriers to abortion, including conscientious objections.
The resolution is based on a report presented last month by the Croatian leftist MEP Predrag Fred Matić and calls on European Union member states to give access to abortion without restrictions, labelling abortion an “essential health service” and a “human right”.
The report also states that it “urges the Member States to decriminalise abortion, as well as to remove and combat obstacles to legal abortion” and claims that “a total ban on abortion care or denial of abortion care is a form of gender-based violence”.
While some medical practitioners refuse to carry out abortions for religious or conscientious reasons, the report states that “an individual’s conscience clause may not interfere with a patient’s right to full access to healthcare and services”.
The report also touches on transgender healthcare, saying that “trans-specific healthcare such as hormonal treatment and surgery should be accessible and reimbursed by public health insurance schemes”.
The Commission of Bishops of the European Union (COMECE) released a statement last week on the report, objecting to abortion being labelled a “human right”.
“There are no international human rights, or other international treaties, that provides for such a general ‘human right to abortion’ or a corresponding obligation of States,” the European Bishops stated.
In Malta, the pro-life group Doctors for Life also commented on the report, stating that the EU was attempting to interfere with the domestic health policies of member states.
“It also attempts to introduce the recognition of a ‘right to abortion,’ although no such right exists, nor can it be derived from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights or the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,” the group said.
The new report comes months after the Polish government banned abortion except in extreme circumstances such as rape, incest, or when the mother’s life is in danger. Several mentions of Poland’s stance on abortion were made in the report.
The European Parliament is scheduled to vote on the resolution on Thursday afternoon.