The Center is calling on the EU to fully integrate SRHR into its new Gender Action Plan IV for external action, including: 👉 Establish a dedicated pillar on SRHR 👉 Integrate it as a cross-cutting priority 👉 Support and protect SRHR human rights defenders and CSOs 👉 Scale up funding for SRHR

Sweden’s Riksdag has voted to introduce the right to abortion into its constitution as a fundamental right, taking an important step towards constitutional protection already in place in France and Luxembourg.

On 15 July, the European Commission @ec.europa.eu will publish its 7th annual Rule of Law Report. Together with 36 other civil society organisations, we are calling for real accountability and concrete measures to ensure Member State compliance with rule of law requirements.

The Faroe Islands’ new abortion law comes into effect today, ending one of Europe’s most restrictive legal frameworks, which dated back to 1956 and only allowed abortion under narrow grounds. Abortion on request is now permitted up to 12 weeks.

MEPs are calling on @ec.europa.eu to take action to close the gender health gap in the EU by: 👉 Prioritising women’s health needs in EU policy 👉 Investing in women’s health research 👉 Tackling systemic gender bias in medical research, diagnosis and treatment

Luxembourg has formally enshrined the freedom to access abortion in its constitution following a final parliamentary vote. It is the second European country to do so, with similar constitutional protections currently being considered in Belgium, Finland, Sweden and Spain.

At the 5th Ministerial Conference on #FeministForeignPolicy in Madrid, hosted by Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Center’s Leah Hoctor spoke with @efeminista.com about the widespread public and political support for reproductive rights – and why governments must continue to pursue progress.

Lawmakers in Ireland are considering a proposal to remove the mandatory waiting period for abortion care. Such procedural barriers: 👉 Delay access to good quality care 👉 Fail to align with @who.int recommendations & modern clinical practice 👉 Are no longer imposed by most European countries

The European Parliament @europarl.europa.eu has passed a resolution calling for an EU-wide consent-based definition of rape. The vote calls on @ec.europa.eu to establish a harmonised "only yes means yes" standard in EU law to protect women and girls across all Member States.

The @europarl.europa.eu has formally adopted the revised Victims’ Rights Directive which, for the first time, clearly defines the SRH services that must be available to victims of sexual violence across Member States, including access to abortion, emergency contraception, PEP and STI testing.

In a landmark ruling, the European Court of Justice has found Hungary’s 2021 anti-LGBTQ+ law in breach of the EU’s core founding values. @eucourtofjustice.bsky.social ruled that the legislation is discriminatory, stigmatising and "contrary to the identity of the union".

The WHO Academy has launched a new four-part comprehensive abortion care learning programme. Developed by @who.int's reproductive health research programme, the resource offers health workers an educational pathway to support quality, respectful care.

Abortion rights advocates in Malta have launched a civil disobedience campaign, placing lockboxes with abortion pills across the country to spotlight the nation’s near-total ban and assist those seeking early pregnancy care locally.

Protecting access to abortion is a matter of human rights and evidence-based public health policy. Public polls show time and time again that abortion access enjoys a broad consensus, with support across the political spectrum.

Dive into the realities of SRHR across Central & Eastern Europe and Central Asia through a series of interviews with activists and changemakers, including our own Adriana Lamačková. We are proud to be a part of ASTRA Network ✊

Together with more than 200 European midwifery leaders & civil society organisations from across Europe, we are calling on @ec.europa.eu to overhaul the EU's outdated midwifery standards. The new rules must be aligned with current international benchmarks to ensure quality reproductive healthcare.

The WHO and HRP have launched a 🆕 AI-powered platform to help policymakers, experts & health workers find reliable, evidence-based SRHR information in real time. ChatHRP draws exclusively from verified @who.int and @hrpresearch.bsky.social research to ensure access to trusted evidence and guidance.

A new rule of law resolution from @europarl.europa.eu calls on Slovak authorities to guarantee effective and non-discriminatory access to SRHR, including safe & legal abortion, highlighting their obligations to uphold fundamental human rights.

Sexual and reproductive health and rights are a core pillar of public health. Abortion and contraception play a central role in achieving better public health outcomes and should always be considered as central elements of a comprehensive healthcare system.

Over 70 MEPs and 13 Member States are urging @ec.europa.eu to restore funding for health civil society. These organisations help keep EU health policy accountable by advocating for patient and public interests in the decision-making process and play a vital role in promoting health rights.

A Scottish regional health authority has formally called for the decriminalisation of abortion, highlighting it should be treated as a matter of healthcare, not criminal law. This development reflects a growing trend across Europe to remove outdated criminal sanctions from reproductive healthcare.

Northern Ireland has become the first part of the UK to offer statutory paid leave for people who experience a miscarriage. The new regulations reflect a growing recognition of the need for legal frameworks that support those experiencing pregnancy loss.

Germany is currently considering proposals to partially legalise egg donation, potentially reforming the 1991 Embryo Protection Act. The move aims to address the legal and practical barriers that currently lead many patients to seek fertility treatment abroad.

Italy’s Constitutional Court has struck down a regional measure on hiring doctors for abortion services in Sicily, while reaffirming that authorities must organize health systems to ensure women can obtain abortion care when needed, including where refusals of care are widespread.

Congratulations to @moznostvolby.bsky.social on 25 years of courageous advocacy for reproductive rights in Slovakia. An incredible milestone for the European SRHR movement. We are proud to be your partners on this journey 💜✨

Moves to reduce penalties for women who end their own pregnancies reflect growing recognition of the harms of criminalisation. Across Europe, there is an increasing trend toward removing all criminal sanctions for women in relation to their own abortions.

How can existing EU funds support abortion access following @ec.europa.eu’s response to the #MyVoiceMyChoice initiative? Clear operational guidance will be key to turning this pathway into meaningful support in practice.

We joined more than 140 organisations in providing feedback on the @ec.europa.eu’s new Global Health Resilience Initiative. Alongside other stakeholders, we are calling for #SRHR to be integrated as a central component of resilient health systems and crisis preparedness.

In a historic milestone, the UK Parliament has officially voted to decriminalise women who end their own pregnancies in England & Wales and pardon those previously convicted. The new law is expected to take effect in the coming weeks. Seeking reproductive healthcare should never be a crime.

Across Europe, countries are taking steps to improve access to abortion care. In Spain, a court in Madrid has ordered the creation of a registry of doctors who refuse to provide abortion care, aiming to help ensure services are more accessible for all women.

Spain’s government has approved a proposal to enshrine abortion in the constitution, reflecting growing efforts across Europe to strengthen legal protections for reproductive rights, including recent reforms in France and Luxembourg.

On #InternationalRomaDay we especially honor Roma women and girls fighting anti-Romani racism, sexism and exclusion. Across Europe, Romani women and girls still face discrimination and barriers to reproductive healthcare. Governments must end these violations and ensure reproductive justice for all.

In a new publication on women’s health in Europe, Vice President for Europe Leah Hoctor highlights how the promise of sexual and reproductive health and rights remains unfulfilled for millions across Europe. This moment calls for courage and action to ensure progress on SRHR continues.

Between the 1960s and 1990s, thousands of women and girls from Greenland were fitted with IUDs without their consent. Following Denmark’s apology last year, the focus now turns to compensation, accountability and justice for survivors.

According to local reporting, Italy’s latest annual report on the implementation of abortion law 194 is now long overdue, despite a requirement. Without timely and transparent information, it becomes far harder to monitor barriers to care and ensure access to abortion in practice.

The EU’s new Gender Equality Strategy acknowledges ongoing gaps in sexual and reproductive health and rights. Now concrete action from the Commission is essential to improve access to contraception, abortion care and other essential health services across the block.

The Council of Europe @coe.int has called on Poland to urgently guarantee effective access to lawful abortion care. Women in Poland continue to face significant barriers to accessing abortion due to the near total ban and serious legal barriers.

Luxembourg recently voted to enshrine the freedom to have an abortion in its constitution, becoming the second country in the world to do so after France in 2024. Similar efforts to constitutionally protect reproductive rights are currently under discussion in several other European countries.

The UK House of Lords voted to fully decriminalise women who access abortion care outside legal pathways in England and Wales, paving the way for long-overdue reform. Women should never be treated as criminals when they need reproductive healthcare.

On International Women’s Day, the Center for Reproductive Rights Europe took stock of progress on abortion rights across the region. Despite important and continued progress, women still face legal and practical barriers to accessing essential care.

The European Parliament has backed a call for EU countries to ensure affordable, secure access to contraceptive and abortion-related medicines under the Critical Medicines Act. We urge lawmakers to ensure this commitment is retained in the final text.

Jersey is considering abortion law reform that would remove the requirement to prove distress and extend access without special justification up to 22 weeks. This aligns with @who.int guidance, which calls for removing regulatory barriers that delay abortion care.

The EU Commission has set out a pathway to support abortion access following the #MyVoiceMyChoice European Citizens’ Initiative, clarifying for the first time that existing EU funds may be used to address barriers to care. Clear operational guidance is now needed to turn this into real access.

In Europe, demographic decline is increasingly invoked to justify rolling back abortion entitlements. A new report from @unfpa.org warns that simplistic or coercive responses to falling birth rates are ineffective and risk violating human rights. Real solutions centre reproductive agency.

In the last four years, Russia’s full-scale invasion of #Ukraine has killed thousands and displaced millions. Barriers to critical sexual and reproductive healthcare persist both in Ukraine and for many refugees across the EU, further compounding their trauma.

The expansion of the Global Gag Rule will have far-reaching consequences for access to essential health services worldwide. In Europe, it directly affects civil society and health systems, underscoring the EU’s responsibility to protect sexual and reproductive health and rights.

In just a few weeks, @ec.europa.eu will issue its decision on the #MyVoiceMyChoice European Citizens’ Initiative, which calls for measures to support safe & accessible abortion across the EU. We are proud to support this important initiative.

📣 Call for input: @who.int is seeking grey literature and expert contributions on how abortion care information is included in comprehensive sex education for young people, with input welcomed from across regions and contexts.

Proud to have led this joint effort calling on @ec.europa.eu to act on the #MyVoiceMyChoice European Citizens’ Initiative to ensure safe & accessible abortion across the EU. The Commission has the legal competence, democratic mandate and responsibility to act.

More than 1 million citizens. A majority of the European Parliament. And now, civil society across the EU. The message is clear: @ec.europa.eu must act on #MyVoiceMyChoice and propose a voluntary EU-level financial mechanism to support access to safe, legal abortion care. @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu