Europe’s liberals, Greens say abortion must be a right in EU charter
- The right for a woman to make autonomous decisions about her body should not depend on which political parties happen to hold power, senior figures say
- Their words echo those of French President Emmanuel Macron. France anchored the right to abortion into its constitution following a landmark vote on March 4
Senior figures from the Green and liberal factions in the European Parliament have spoken in favour of including the right to abortion in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, echoing a call by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Green parliamentary group leader Terry Reintke and Valérie Hayer, who is the leader of the liberal Renew group, spoke to Germany’s RND media group for an interview published on Sunday.
“The right to safe abortion belongs in the EU Charter as a fundamental right,” said Reintke, a German politician who has served as a member of the European Parliament since 2014.
The right for a woman to make autonomous decisions about their body should not depend on which political parties happen to hold power at any given time, she said.
Hayer, an MEP from France and ally of Macron, also told RND that she supported the French president’s initiative.