Activists and organizations from eight countries have come together to announce the launch of a campaign aimed at advancing women’s rights. It also seeks to ensuring accessible, safe reproductive choices for all women across Europe.
The move is by the “My Voice, My Choice” movement, a ground breaking European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI). Organisers say they are “dismayed by the increasing far-right and anti-abortion policies elsewhere in Europe”. The Initiative aims to establish a dedicated EU fund to facilitate cross-border safe abortion practices and enhance access to reproductive healthcare services across all member states.
Campaigners say the launch of the ECI on 5 March symbolises an urgent call to action to safeguard abortion rights and uphold reproductive justice across the region.
The movement has brought together activists and NGOs from across Europe, including the Institute 8th of March, Slovenia, Spanish movement, The Finnish Women’s Association Unioni, from Poland Ogólnopolski Strajk Kobiet (Polish Women’s strike) and a collective Wschod, in France Collective of activist and NGO’s, Abortion Rights Campaign and National Womens Council of Ireland.
“Our mission is to get one ally in each European country and spread the movement globally”, – said for EURO-ATLANTIC UKRAINE Maja Koražija, network coordinator of the campaign – Our goal is clear, we want to establish a European financial mechanism that helps Member States ensure that every woman has access to safe and legal abortion for all those who still needlessly suffer and die because of the lack of access to safe abortion care”.
Nika Kovač explained for the EURO-ATLANTIC the process, saying, “We submitted a European Citizens Initiative to the European Commission to achieve these legal changes and we are waiting for its registration. Our next goal is to collect one million signatures in support of this proposal in the next few months”.
Alice Coffin, leading French activist and feminist, said, “Our movement is just beginning. With the registration of the initiative and the planning of the next steps, “My Voice, My Choice” is our common future, celebrating freedom to decide about our own lives. We decided to make safe and accessible abortion in Europe a reality”.
Against the backdrop of what are said to be rising illiberal and anti-reproductive rights policies, activists and NGOs say they wanted to join forces to champion “this historic” initiative, advocating for the fundamental rights of women throughout Europe.
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