On the European citizens’ initiative entitled ‘My Voice, My Choice: For Safe and Accessible Abortion’
B-10-2025-0560
on behalf of the ESN Group · Rapporteur: Irmhild Boßdorf, Christine Anderson
Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text. The paragraph links open the paragraph a statement rests on — check the text itself before relying on it.
This resolution responds to the European citizens' initiative 'My Voice, My Choice: For Safe and Accessible Abortion'. It reaffirms that the EU has no competence to harmonise abortion legislation or fund abortion services, and calls on the Commission to conclude that the initiative's proposals fall outside EU competence.¶¶ It also calls on Member States to prevent coercion into abortion and to provide support services for women who wish to continue pregnancies.¶
Key points
- Reaffirms that the EU has no competence to harmonise national legislation on abortion or impose obligations on Member States regarding abortion services, per Article 168(7) TFEU and the principle of conferral.¶
- Rejects any proposal to establish an EU-level funding mechanism for abortion services and any attempt to characterise abortion as an EU-funded entitlement.
- Calls on the Commission to conclude that the proposals of the 'My Voice, My Choice' initiative fall outside EU competence.¶
- Considers that abortion should not be used or promoted as a regular means of birth control; supports family planning, responsible education and access to modern contraception.¶
- Notes that Member States have different legal frameworks, including exceptions for rape, incest or risks to the woman's life or health.
- Believes that abortions performed without exceptional grounds should not be financed by public funds, respecting subsidiarity and human dignity.¶
- Calls on Member States to ensure no woman is coerced into terminating a pregnancy due to social, financial or family pressure, and to provide better support services.¶
Who is affected
- Member States: retain responsibility for abortion legislation and financing; called on to prevent coercion and provide support services.¶¶¶
- The Commission: called on to conclude that the citizens' initiative falls outside EU competence.¶
- Women: affected by calls to prevent coercion and to support continuing pregnancies.¶
Legal basis: Article 168(7) TFEU and Article 5 TEU¶