Status overview of abortion in Europe (2024)

Whereas in the first decades of the 21st century, many countries started legalising abortion and progress of women’s rights seemed to go on in Europe, nowadays a backlash against the right to abortion is clearly visible.

Since the Abortion Right1 platform was set up in 2011, we have been sounding the alarm on the attacks – open or surreptitious – which, in several countries, are impeding women’s* access to abortion.

The Abortion Platform calls on the EU to implement the resolution adopted by the European Parliament on April 11, 2024, urging the inclusion of the right to abortion in the Charter of Fundamental Rights. It is time to implement the WHO’s recommendations to treat abortion as a public health issue and as a matter of respect for human dignity, specifically for women. The EU must therefore guarantee equal rights to life, health, and self-determination for all women, regardless of their nationality and country of residence.

Country by country, this brochure offers a status overview of the threats and obstacles, but also the progress in matters of legislation and access to abortion.

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