Feb 27 • 13:55 UTC 🇱🇹 Lithuania 15min

The EU states that member states will be able to use bloc funds to ensure access to safe abortions

The EU has announced that member states can voluntarily utilize existing social funds to support access to safe abortions for vulnerable women and girls.

In response to the 'My Voice, My Choice' campaign, European Commission Vice President Roxana Minzatu stated that EU member states may voluntarily use available EU social funds to support access to abortion for women and girls in vulnerable situations. The announcement aims to enhance the ability of women to make choices about their reproductive health freely and safely, with the intent that member states commit to this goal with EU support.

While the right to abortion is liberalized in the majority of EU countries, some, particularly Malta and Poland, maintain strict restrictions. This has contributed to a significant issue where over 20 million women across the EU lack access to safe abortion services. Women's rights activists have raised alarms regarding these disparities, advocating for changes that would allow women from countries with restrictive laws to obtain services in more liberal member states.

Last year, a petition urged Brussels to aid women from EU countries where abortions are not readily accessible by facilitating procedures in other member states. Following this review of demands, the European Commission indicated that no new legislation or funding is needed at this moment, which suggests a complex interplay between existing frameworks and the urgent calls for better access to reproductive health services across the continent.

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