“States’ hunger to control girls’ bodies, their sexuality and their lives leaves a terrible legacy of violence, oppression and a bleak outlook,” Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnès Callamard said in March 2023 on the occasion of her annual State of the World Report.
Unfortunately, there is no value in timing the statement, as it remains extremely current. in Europe is under threat again, this is the conclusion of Amnesty International in its latest report which analyzes the situation in around 40 countries.
Abortion: obstacles, delays, “unjustified medical conditions”
Despite legal reforms aimed at making abortion more accessible in various European countries, “numerous administrative, social and practical barriers” still exist to accessing this procedure.
The past 30 years have seen huge strides in the fight for abortion rights, with laws changing for the better in more than 60 countries. However, much remains to be achieved, while progress remains under threat.
In more than ten countries – such as Germany, Austria and Bulgaria – the cost of an abortion can be “prohibitive” when not covered by the health system.
In some countries – such as Italy, Croatia and Romania – “very high” numbers of health professionals refuse to perform abortions because of their personal or religious beliefs, complicating women’s access to the procedure.
In Italy, although abortion has been legal since 1978, the prevalence of conscientious objection in the country—90% in some areas—often forces women to rely on private health care or abortion rights groups.
On April 23, 2024, the Italian Senate gave its final approval to an amendment proposed by the Fratelli d’Italia party, which legalizes the presence of anti-abortion organizations in family planning clinics. In some hospitals, pro-life organizations even have special rooms in the same corridors where abortions are performed.
Albania, Belgium, Hungary, Latvia, Portugal – around 12 countries at least – impose “unjustified medical conditions”, such as waiting periods or counseling sessions, “which can lead to delays”, reports Amnesty International, which calls on European governments to “take measures to guarantee equal and universal access” to abortions.
There are too many women in Portugal who seek abortion services abroad, with the choice of private clinics in Spain being the most common “way out”.
France, the first country to constitutionalize the right to abortion
In March 2024, France became the first country to constitutionally enshrine the right to abortion. A decision hailed as historic by women’s rights groups, although strongly criticized by other anti-abortion groups.
It is noted that the amendment stated that there is a “guaranteed freedom” in abortion in France. Some groups and lawmakers had called for stronger language to explicitly call abortion a “right,” which has been legal in the country since 1974.
In a survey published in September 2024, 82% of women who had an abortion said they still faced barriers, citing long waiting times and disparities in access between urban and rural areas, Radio France reported.
The case of Poland
According to Amnesty International, there have been political attempts to restrict access to abortion, particularly in Slovakia.
The presence of “aggressive” anti-abortion activists outside facilities specializing in sexual and reproductive health is also “an increasingly common obstacle” to abortions, the NGO says, which has documented such cases in Poland and Austria.
Last year, Poland’s parliament approved four debate proposals to change the abortion law, aimed at loosening tough regulations introduced by the previous government that had made abortion almost illegal in the country, putting thousands of women at risk.
Poland’s health ministry guidelines stated that a recommendation from a specialist doctor, including a cardiologist, endocrinologist or psychiatrist, is a sufficient basis for a woman to obtain a legal abortion in a hospital, and the doctor performing the procedure cannot be prosecuted.
Previously, abortion was only possible in case of pregnancy that was the result of sexual abuse or in case of extreme risk to the health of the pregnant woman.
What is true in Greece?
According to this report, Greece is among the countries where abortions are allowed without obstacles up to a certain week of pregnancy.
In Greece, abortion is legal under conditions according to article 304 of the Criminal Code. Up to 12 weeks of pregnancy is allowed for any reason, up to 19 weeks if the pregnancy is due to rape or other crime, and up to 24 weeks if there are serious abnormalities in the fetus.
Without time limit, if there is an unavoidable risk to the life of the pregnant woman or a risk of serious and lasting damage to her physical or mental health, certified by a relevant doctor.
The consent of the pregnant woman is necessary in all cases. The abortion must be performed by an obstetrician-gynecologist in an organized nursing unit, with the participation of an anesthesiologist.
For the first time, the artificial termination of pregnancy was allowed in Greece with the law 821/1978 (in that law the term abortion – artificial abortion was used) in the following cases: a) up to the 12th week of pregnancy in cases where there was a risk to the mother’s mental health and this fact was established by a psychiatrist working in a public hospital and b) up to the 20th week of pregnancy if serious abnormalities in the fetus resulting in the birth of pathological newborns were detected with modern means of prognostic control (prenatal diagnosis).
“Anti-rights groups have increasingly important resources and are able to put pressure on governments,” Lola Sulman, director of gender justice at Amnesty International France, told AFP.
“It is necessary to provide associations with the financial resources to fight this attack,” he added, calling on European leaders to “take note” of the threat and “take care of access to abortion for all.”
