More than 170 civil society organisations from all 27 EU Member States have published an open letter urging the European Commission to respond positively and decisively to the European Citizens’ Initiative “My Voice, My Choice”. The initiative calls for concrete European action to ensure access to safe and legal abortion care across the European Union, addressing long-standing inequalities and cross-border barriers that continue to affect women’s health, rights, and dignity.

In their appeal, the organisations urge the Commission to commit to a clear legislative proposal establishing EU financial support for abortion care, with dedicated budget coverage under the next Multiannual Financial Framework. According to the signatories, such a mechanism would represent a proportionate and effective EU-level response to urgent and persistent gaps in access to essential healthcare.

The letter highlights that, despite existing legal frameworks, profound inequalities remain across the EU. In some Member States, women are still forced to travel abroad to access safe abortion services or to seek care outside legal systems, exposing them to serious physical, psychological, and social harm. Financial barriers are identified as a major obstacle, often making access to care impossible for those most in need and undermining fundamental rights, equality, and public health.

Civil society organisations stress that responding positively to the “My Voice, My Choice” initiative would allow the European Commission to prevent harm and introduce a concrete solution at EU level. The proposed financial mechanism would enable willing Member States, on a voluntary basis and in full respect of their national legal and medical frameworks, to provide abortion care to women from other EU countries and to receive EU reimbursement for doing so.

As reiterated by the European Commission during a European Parliament debate in December, the initiative does not seek to interfere with national abortion laws, which remain under national competence. Instead, it respects the principle of subsidiarity and aligns with the EU’s supporting competence in the field of health, addressing a cross-border challenge that no single Member State can resolve alone.

The call for action is backed by a strong democratic mandate. More than one million European citizens have supported the initiative, alongside a clear majority in the European Parliament. The signatories urge the Commission to honour this mandate and uphold the EU’s commitments to gender equality, human rights, public health, and freedom of movement, emphasizing that decisive action would save lives and reduce suffering.

The full open letter and original publication can be consulted here: https://reproductiverights.org/news/civil-society-open-letter-european-commission-my-voice-my-choice/