Ensuring safe and accessible abortion for everyone

Summary of the EU Parliament resolution on “My voice, my choice: for safe and accessible abortion” (17 Dec 2025)

• Why it matters: The resolution responds to a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) that collected more than 1.2 million signatures. The ECI asks the EU to help all Europeans get safe, legal abortion when needed, especially in countries where it is still hard or impossible to access.

• Key facts about abortion in the EU

  • About 20 million women in Europe still cannot get safe, legal abortion because of restrictive laws or lack of services.
  • 11 EU countries do not offer medication abortion (the pill).
  • Only 5 countries allow abortion care to be arranged by telephone or online.
  • Rules about how long a woman can wait before having an abortion vary widely: from 10 to 24 weeks.
  • In many countries, extra steps are required – mandatory counseling, ultrasounds, permission from a third party, or a professional’s right to refuse to provide care.
  • Some countries still require a waiting period, or they do not pay for abortion services.

• What the resolution wants

  1. A voluntary EU‑wide funding scheme that lets any EU country sign up to receive money to help people who lack safe abortion access in their own country. The scheme would not force a country to change its laws.
  2. The right to abortion added to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights – making it a clear EU human right.
  3. Support for cross‑border care so people who have to travel for abortion can do so more easily, with EU financial help and better information.
  4. Strong condemnation of anti‑women‑rights movements and a call for EU action to protect people’s bodily autonomy.
  5. Encouragement for all Member States to reform their abortion laws so they match international human‑rights and public‑health guidelines.
  6. Dialogue and best‑practice sharing between countries to improve access to all sexual and reproductive health services, not just abortion.

• How the EU can help

  • Use its EU4Health Programme (2021‑2027) and future budgets to provide money and technical support.
  • Facilitate the exchange of experiences and policy ideas.
  • Ensure that any new funding does not change a country’s health system design but simply supports people who need care.

• Bottom line: The resolution says that safe, legal abortion is a fundamental right and that the EU should step in with funding and legal support to make sure no woman in Europe has to travel, wait, or suffer because her country’s laws do not provide that right.