The Democrats 66 (D66), a coalition member, wants the Netherlands to promote abortion as a right on an international scale.
According to D66 MPs Sjoerd Sjoerdsma and Wieke Paulusma, women across Europe should have the right to safe and accessible abortion, NL Times reported. They added that this will be possible if access to abortion is declared a human right in the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights.
Going forward, the D66 MPs will submit an initiative memorandum to the House of Representatives.
In July, the European Parliament called to include the right to abortion in the Charter of Fundamental Rights, saying that member states must guarantee access to safe, legal, and free abortion services.
“Every year, 39,000 women die worldwide due to unsafe abortion. This is a city the size of Wageningen. This is impossible. The Netherlands must take the lead to fight these abuses and for accessible and safe abortion care in the world,” said Sjoerdsma, according to NL Times.
In July, the Netherlands scrapped the five-day waiting period women must undergo before getting an abortion. Currently, Malta has a total abortion ban, even in cases where the woman’s life is in danger, although amendments to the law are due in the coming weeks. Poland also has extremely restrictive laws following a recent tightening, which prohibited it in almost all cases.
EURACTIV has reached out to the D66 party for further information.
(Sofia Stuart Leeson | EURACTIV.com)
Source: euractiv.com
