Brussels, 21 January 2015

Over 40 000 citizens calling on the European Parliament to not adopt any provision in favour of EU support for abortion, an issue on which there is no EU competence, were ignored by two thirds of the EU Parliament Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality as it adopted the annual European Parliament report on the equality between women and men in the European Union – 2013 presented by Belgian MEP Marc Tarabella from the Socialists and Democrats group on 20 January. 

Despite some positive points, the adopted text still includes the very same paragraph which tens of thousand of citizens requested to be removed, but with an even stronger emphasis on a “right to abortion” and with an extention to SRHR. 

The mobilisation of citizens from across the EU will continue, inviting the Members of the European Parliament to reaffirm the position already adopted in December 2013 when the European Parliament rejected the so called Estrela Report on “Sexual and reproductive health and rights” (SRHR). In its place the Members of the European Parliament adopted a resolution that reaffirmed the principle of subsidiarity and clearly stated that “the formulation and implementation of policies on SRHR and on sexual education in schools is a competence of the Member States”.

The message is clear: the EU is not competent to take a position on the issue of abortion, it is a national competence and by no means something to be decided on in Brussels. For this reason any reference to the abortion issue should be removed from the text.

In less than one week a citizens petition launched by FAFCE has already gathered over 50 000 signatures from citizens who ask the EU Parliament to not support a “right to abortion”. FAFCE President Antoine Renard notes that these citizens “count on the Members of the European Parliament to respect the principle of subsidiarity and not overstep the competence of the EU“.

The many signatures demonstrate the need for subsidiarity on this issue. FAFCE therefore calls on citizens to continue to make their voice heard and send a strong and united signal in favour of human life and respect for its dignity to the European Parliament ahead of the vote that will take place during the European Parliament plenary in March.

Contact: Maria Hildingsson, Secretary General
+32 4 70 20 39 18
info@fafce.org