European Parliament votes to adopt abortion rights into fundamental charter News
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European Parliament votes to adopt abortion rights into fundamental charter

The European Parliament Thursday voted 324-155 to adopt a resolution making the right to an abortion a fundamental human right. The proposed statement would add the words “[e]veryone has a right to safe and legal abortion” to Article VII of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, adopted in 2009. Parliament also urged the US Congress to pass a law protecting abortion rights.

The resolution responds to Dobbs v. Jackson, a decision by the United States Supreme Court which overturned Roe v. Wade and enabled states to criminalize abortion. A statement released by the Parliament read:

“MEPs [Members of Parliament] express their solidarity with women and girls in the US, as well as to those involved in both providing and advocating for the right and access to legal and safe abortion care in such challenging circumstances.

Parliament adopted a resolution on June 9 declaring that “backsliding on the right to access safe and legal abortion is a grave concern.”The body governs a group of states where abortion access is often limited and inequitable. The resolution cited countries where abortion is extremely restricted or illegal, including Poland, Malta, Slovakia and Hungary, and countries where access to abortion is declining, like Italy and Croatia, as areas of concern.

Several countries within the European Union, including France, Germany, and Spain, have proposed their own abortion law reforms in response to growing international attention.