The European Parliament has passed a resolution condemning the United States Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.
On Thursday, the European Parliament voted 324-155 for a resolution stating, “Everyone has the right to safe and legal abortion” that will be interpolated into the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
“Its harmful consequences will be experienced most acutely by individuals in vulnerable situations,” the EU resolution said of the SCOTUS decision, adding, “SRHR (sexual and reproductive health and rights), including safe and legal abortion care, constitute a fundamental right; whereas criminalizing, delaying and denying access to SRHR constitutes a form of violence against women and girls.”
“Backsliding on the right to access safe and legal abortion is a grave concern,” the EU resolution warned, then segued to its chief concern: “The overturning of Roe v Wade could embolden the anti-abortion movement in the European Union.”
Poland has made its abortion laws narrow; it is the only EU Member State that has removed a ground for abortion from its laws, the resolution noted, charging, “The illegitimate Constitutional Tribunal ruled on 22 October 2020 to reverse the long-established rights of Polish women.”
“Only Malta has a total outright ban on abortions within the European Union,” Deutsche Welle reported.
The resolution asserted a concern “about a possible surge in the flow of money funding anti-gender and anti-choice groups in the world, including in Europe.”
The resolution concluded by calling for the EU president to “forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, the President of the United States of America and his administration, the US Congress, and the US Supreme Court.”
European Equality Commissioner Helena Dalli had stated that the SCOTUS decision was “a reminder that hard-won rights cannot be taken as a given, anywhere.”
Stéphane Séjourné, president of the liberal Renew Europe group in the EU Parliament, stated, “The United States has clearly shown why we must use every tool available to safeguard abortion rights in the European Union.”
According to PBS, it is not likely that legislation throughout Europe will not be quickly impacted by the resolution.
After the SCOTUS decision was announced, Grégor Puppinck, director of the European Center for Law and Justice, enthused, “This is very positive, and it will be looked at by other judges. … I think it is obvious that 50 years after Roe v. Wade, abortion is still a problem, and it will always be a problem. Normalization is not possible.”