Its inclusion in the Constitution would be hailed as a “strong symbol” by feminist associations. The bill on the issue will be presented to the Council of Ministers on Tuesday. Elsewhere in Europe, in many countries, the right to abortion is subject to restrictions. Overview.
In Malta, first. The small island is the only member state where abortion remained illegal in all circumstances. The country slightly relaxed its legislation in June 2023. Abortion is now authorized, but only in the case where the mother’s life is in danger and the fetus is not viable.
In Poland, a country with a Catholic tradition, abortion is only authorized in cases of rape or incest, or when the mother’s life is in danger. In 2020, the Constitutional Court sided with the populist-nationalist government by declaring terminations of pregnancies for fetal malformations “unconstitutional.” Having emerged victorious from the October legislative elections, the pro-European opposition hopes to succeed in legalizing abortion, but the fate of this electoral promise remains uncertain.
A right recognized in many countries, but often attacked
In Northern Ireland, a British province with very anchored conservatism, abortion was only recently decriminalized, in 2019. But despite its recent consecration in Northern Irish law, lack of resources and political battles mean that some women do not sometimes have no choice but to travel to Britain to terminate their pregnancies.
Abortion has been legal since 1978 in Italy but in practice many gynecologists refuse to perform it, making the right to abortion an obstacle course for many women. Health personnel can in fact invoke conscientious objection, resulting in dozens of hospitals and clinics offering no possibility of abortion.
Abortion was legalized in Spain in 2010, after being decriminalized in 1985. Women can freely abort up to the fourteenth week of pregnancy and then have recourse to abortion under certain conditions.
In Hungary, despite the legalization of abortion since the 1950s, Prime Minister Viktor Orban continues to implement pronatalist measures. Since 2022, pregnant women are obliged to listen to the fetal heartbeat before having an abortion. Finally, in the Vatican and Andorra, abortion is completely illegal.