EU to create fund to widen access to abortion services
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The European Parliament has backed the creation of an EU fund aimed at widening access to abortion services across the bloc, following a landmark and divisive vote in Strasbourg.
MEPs voted 358 in favour, 202 against, with 79 abstentions, supporting a proposal to set up a voluntary, opt-in financial mechanism. The fund would help countries cover abortion care for women who cannot access the procedure at home and choose to travel to member states with more liberal laws. The initiative originated from a citizens’ petition led by the campaign group My Voice, My Choice.
Renew Europe MEP Abir Al-Sahlani, who tabled the resolution on behalf of the Parliament’s women’s rights committee, described the vote as “a huge win for every woman in Europe”, calling sexual and reproductive healthcare a basic human right.
The result was seen as a rare success for the centre left after the Parliament shifted right following the 2024 EU elections. Despite fears that conservatives and the far right would block the proposal, divisions within the European People’s Party allowed the original text to pass.
Campaign coordinator Nika Kovač said the outcome showed that “the silent majority is on the side of reproductive rights”. Opponents, mainly from conservative and far-right groups, criticised the plan as ideological and an overreach into national competences.
