Campaign to stop EU funding out of state abortions - tell your EU commissioner to vote NO

Image credit: Alexey Larionov / Christian Dubovan

A new campaign launched by pro-life European organisation, One of Us, is urging people across EU countries to write to their EU commissioner, telling them to reject a European citizens’ initiative that seeks to provide European funding for women to access abortion in another EU member state if they can no longer obtain an abortion in their own country. 

A European Citizen’s initiative allows for EU citizens to call on EU commissioners to propose new laws within the EU, and requires 1 million signatures for EU commissioners to then choose a course of action in regards to the initiative. 

According to an email seen by the Life Institute, the initiative of concern, known as “My Voice My Choice” is requesting that the EU provide funds, so that a woman, for example, in France, where there is a legal abortion limit of 14 weeks, could travel to another EU member state, such as the Netherlands, who have a legal abortion limit of 24 weeks, so she could obtain an abortion if she were to be beyond the legal limit in her own country.  

However, according to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), as highlighted in a legal note provided by One of Us, Article 6 states that:

“The Union may carry out actions to support, coordinate, or supplement the actions of the Member States.”

As well as Article 168 that states:

“The Union shall complement national policies to improve public health, but “the organization and delivery of health services and medical care shall remain the responsibility of the Member States.”

Therefore, the decision of the provision of abortions and its legal limit is to be decided by the Member State, and thus the EU cannot provide funds to help women work around these laws in order to obtain an abortion.

One of Us also reference the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, where Article 33 states:

“1. The family shall enjoy legal, economic and social protection.

2. To reconcile family and professional life, everyone shall have the right to

protection from dismissal for a reason connected with maternity and the right to

paid maternity leave and to parental leave following the birth or adoption of a

child.”

Which means that the EU should focus more on the protection of family and maternity matters instead of providing abortions. 

One of Us reports that the EU have in the past provided funds to help support families and mothers in need, where in some cases this has led to families having more children. However, this has since been discontinued and funds have focused more on “ideologically driven projects,

including those introducing gender theory or promoting abortion.”

As well as being a complete disregard to the innocent life of the unborn child, it is also well known that abortion harms women. A recent study published earlier this year and conducted by David Reardon discovered that women are more likely to report grief as opposed to relief following an abortion, whereas back in 2022, UK doctor Dr Callum Miller reported that he found both maternal deaths and complications arising from an abortion increased with legalised abortion. The abortion pill is also known to have risks of serious complications, including hemorrhage, sepsis, and death, with the FDA reporting that 2.9 to 4.6 percent of women end up in the ER after taking the abortion pill. In a recent case in Ireland, a man from Donegal pleaded guilty to forcing a woman into having an abortion, calling to question how much abortion really is about a woman’s “choice” and shedding light on the reality that women can be coerced into an abortion. One of Us also reported on a poll reported by IFOP (2020), which found that 92% of women reported that abortion “leaves painful marks.”

Back in 2021, the EU voted to make abortion a "human right”, and this “My Voice My Choice” initiative emphasises this false ideology. However, One of Us rightly points out that calling abortion a woman’s “right” or “choice” is “instrumentalizing women’s pain” and acts as a form of denial of the suffering they endured for the sake of a “political slogan.”

As of the 1st September, the “My Voice My Choice” initiative submitted 1.1 millions signatures, where a hearing was then heard on the 1st October this year. One of Us reports that as of the end of October, EU Commissioners have until 1st March to respond to the initiative and it is likely that the vote will take place before Christmas, therefore, urgent action to oppose the initiative is required.

Instead of funding wider access to abortion, the organisation calls on EU Commissioners to instead promote maternity protection, support families, and strengthen the social and economic protection of families across Europe. 

Therefore, Life Institute urges pro-lifers to join in on this vital campaign from One of Us to write letters if possible, as opposed to emails, to your EU Commissioner, telling them to reject this initiative. One of Us has provided a sample letter which can be accessed here, written in English which can be translated to the appropriate language if necessary. The letter can be adapted and you can write any additional points you’d like to include that are relevant to your country. It is vital we use our voices to stop any push for abortion within the EU, and encourage the support for women who are facing a crisis pregnancy. 

The EU Commissioner for Ireland is Michael McGrath and his contact details, as well as details for other EU Commissioners can be found here.