By Martin Banks

The S&D group says it welcomes the European Commission’s recognition of the right to abortion. 

This came in response to a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), which is  backed by over 1.1 million citizens, 300 organisations and the European Parliament.

But the Socialists said they “regret” that the Commission had decided “not to put forward a proposal for a new legal act to provide financial support to allow member states to provide safe abortion care to women who cannot access that right in the member state where they live.”

Even so, the group, the second biggest in the EU parliament, welcomed the fact that the Commission has “opened up a clear pathway” for these healthcare services using ESF+.

According to the World Health Organization, around 483,000 unsafe abortions take place in Europe each year.

The EU says unsafe abortion is a matter of public health, as it can lead to various forms of physical harm and severe mental stress and thus put the lives of women at risk.

An EC spokesman said, “Having carefully analysed the initiative and with regard to the EU Treaties’ limitations to EU competence in the area of public health, the Commission underlines that Member States can rely on existing EU instruments to improve equal access to legally available and affordable healthcare services, including safe abortion services.

This EU support can,added  the spokesman, be provided through the (ESF+) programme.

The European Social Fund Plus, the EU’s main social funding instrument, has an allocation of some €142 billion for 2021-2027 to support employment, social inclusion, skills, and access to essential services.

Reaction has been swift, with Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, S&D shadow rapporteur and FEMM coordinator, saying :“I commend all the My Voice, My Choice campaigners who fought so hard for this day. We have the Commission response, but the campaign is not over yet.

“This is not exactly the victory we hoped for, but it is clear that we have forced the European Commission to open up a pathway. Now we need to turn that into a reality, because we cannot accept a Europe where women continue to die because abortion is not accessible.”

Greens/EFA MEP Alice Bah Kuhnke, a member of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, commented, “Well over a million Europeans have demanded access to free and safe abortion across the EU.

“Considering the global backlash against women’s rights, the European Commission has taken an important step in the right direction and acknowledged that the EU must support women’s sexual and reproductive health.”

More comment came from Hadja Lahbib, Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, who said, “From now on we are granting member states the possibility to use EU funding, the European Social Fund, to improve access to abortion.

“This means support women who travel, support women in their own countries, support women in remote areas and support women without financial means. In practice, this would mean women will have better access to safe abortion care, any vulnerable women, anywhere in Europe.

“And this is groundbreaking.” 

Nika Kovač, campaign coordinator of My Voice, My Choice, told this site, “This is an important decision – a decision that would not have happened without our movement, people from all walks of life who are very different, yet united by the value that every woman has the freedom to choose and that everyone must have access to basic healthcare.

“Now it is clear once and for all: the EU can help finance access to safe abortion; it can play an active role in ensuring fundamental women’s rights. The next step is for women to begin receiving this support in practice.”