Early life > Abortion

Belgium EIB NEWS : UN criticises Belgium for ‘high rate’ of abortions linked to prenatal Down’s Syndrome tests

Author / Source : EIB Published on : Thematic : Early life / Abortion News Temps de lecture : 2 min.

EIB NEWS : UN criticises Belgium for ‘high rate’ of abortions linked to prenatal Down’s Syndrome tests

The fact that the negative perception of people with disabilities leads to a high rate of abortions due to Down's syndrome is in practice linked to the widespread use of the NIP-test as a screening method in Belgium. This non-invasive blood test is routinely offered to pregnant women, and is fully reimbursed by the Belgian state. Although healthcare providers are supposed to leave the choice to couples faced with the news of a disability, more than 95% of pregnancies are nevertheless...

Read more 

Abortion: the European Parliament calls for complete decriminalisation

Author / Source : IEB Published on : Thematic : Early life / Abortion News Temps de lecture : 2 min.

Abortion: the European Parliament calls for complete decriminalisation

On 11 April 2024, the European Parliament voted (336 in favour, 163 against and 39 abstentions) for a resolution to amend Article 3 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union to include the right to abortion. Although European Parliament resolutions are not binding, they nevertheless express the official position of the legislative body if a majority of MEPs vote in favour of them. As for the Charter of Fundamental Rights, it is binding on the Member States, but only when the...

Read more 

France Constitutionalisation of abortion in France: a high-risk symbol

Author / Source : IEB Published on : Thematic : Early life / Abortion News Temps de lecture : 3 min.

Constitutionalisation of abortion in France: a high-risk symbol

At Versailles on Monday 4 March 2024, French parliamentarians meeting in Congress voted 780 to 52 to include the freedom to have an abortion in the Constitution. The single article aimed at amending article 34 of the Constitution was added to the list of citizens' rights and freedoms in the following terms: "The law shall determine the conditions under which the freedom guaranteed to a woman to have recourse to a voluntary interruption of pregnancy is exercised". "Guaranteed freedom":...

Read more 

États-Unis Protection of the embryo: the Alabama Supreme Court recognises that embryos are "unborn children"

Author / Source : IEB Published on : Thematic : Early life / Abortion News Temps de lecture : 1 min.

Protection of the embryo: the Alabama Supreme Court recognises that embryos are "unborn children"

The ruling was prompted by a complaint lodged against a clinic by three couples whose embryos stored for in vitro fertilisation were accidentally destroyed in 2020. The Supreme Court based its decision on the Wrongful Death of a Minor Act of 1872. The justices relied on specific case law (Mack v. Carmack) to define the term "minor child" and to declare that unborn children fell within that definition - "regardless of stage of development and regardless of location", in the words of Justice...

Read more 

Belgium France France and Belgium: abortion remains an icon of ideological battles

Author / Source : IEB Published on : Thematic : Early life / Abortion News Temps de lecture : 2 min.

France and Belgium: abortion remains an icon of ideological battles

The bill is particularly opposed by many healthcare professionals, who see the constitutionalization of abortion as a direct threat to their freedom of conscience. In the event of the constitutionalization of abortion, Emmanuel Sapin, Professor of Pediatric and Neonatal Surgery, calls for the right of healthcare professionals to conscientious objection to abortion to be enshrined in the Constitution. In a letter co-signed by numerous healthcare professionals...

Read more 

Sexuality and abortion: The European Parliament Adopts the Matic Report

Author / Source : European Institute of Bioethics Published on : Thematic : Early life / Abortion News Temps de lecture : 2 min.

Sexuality and abortion: The European Parliament Adopts the Matic Report

More broadly, with the expression "reproductive and sexual rights", the resolution calls on the European Union (EU) Member States to guarantee access to: "comprehensive sexual education; modern contraceptive methods; care during childbirth and the pre- and post-natal periods; obstetric care; new-born care; services providing safe and legal abortions; prevention and treatment of HIV infection and other STIs; services to detect, prevent and treat sexual and gender-based violence; treatment of ca...

Read more