“Freedom to have an abortion” will become part of the French constitution and must also be protected under EU law
Vienna (OTS/SK) – “While women’s and fundamental rights are coming under pressure all over the world, French members of the Senate and the National Assembly are today taking a targeted stand against it: the freedom as a woman to decide for herself about a pregnancy or its termination – women’s right to self-determination Part of the French constitution. A beautiful and necessary sign on the occasion of the upcoming Women’s Day. Because women’s rights are far from being a given in the EU,” comments SPÖ EU MP and member of the Equal Opportunities Committee Evelyn Regner today after the vote on the constitutional change.
Regner, also Vice President of the EU Parliament, sees a historic decision and hopes that it will send a signal to the entire EU: “The French example is encouraging and shows that pressure and persistence pay off. Our neighboring country Slovenia has constitutionally protected women’s right to self-determination since the founding of the republic. This has to wake us up: In Austria, abortion must finally be removed from the criminal code; it has absolutely no place there. 50 years after the introduction of the deadline solution, it is high time that we in Austria finally take the next step towards equality! In general, women’s safe and barrier-free access to abortions is not a political question, but rather part of holistic health care. In a rich country like Austria, we must make this healthcare available to all women. But I want to go further: the right to a legal, safe and voluntary abortion must be included in the European Charter of Fundamental Rights; it must apply to all women in the EU!” (Conclusion) ls
Questions & Contact:
Jakob Flossmann
Press spokesman for the SPÖ delegation in the European Parliament
+43 660 562 11 99
jakob.flossmann@europarl.europa.eu
