Conclusions and recommendation to european parliament

• Author: Pietruchova, Olga
• Pages: 19-19

Access to abortion services for women in the EU - Slovakia

PE 659.922 19

4. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION TO EUROPEAN

PARLIAMENT

Because of the fact, that the domain of health is a responsibility of Member States (MS), the mandate

of European institution on SRHR is rather limited. However, this problem is much broader than only a

question of health. SHRH are covering the fundamental rights of women and men to family planning

which is an essential and inherent part of the right to privacy and family life. Furthermore, for women,

it is intricately connected with human rights to self-determination, non-discrimination, and equal

treatment. Those are all domains where the Lisbon Treaty gives the EU power to interfere with the

national policies.

In my opinion, besides the recommendations subsumed in Box 1 and Box 2, the FEMM committee and

the European Parliament should:

• Recall non-discrimination and gender equality principles and the respect for rights embedded

in the Charter of Fundamental Rights as the right to dignity, the integrity of the person,

prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, right to liberty and security of

person, respect for private and family life, freedom of religion and equality between men and

women to safeguard the personal integrity and free choice of women across EU.

• Pay attention and monitor how the MS implement the international human rights

treaties recommendations, in this case, particular those by the CEDAW committee.

• Call for the MS to guarantee consumer rights, the free movement of goods and the right to the

high level of human health protection to uphold the equal access of women to medical

abortion across the EU especially during the COVID-19 pandemics as a more secure way

for women seeking an abortion.

• Pay attention to the situation of civil society, particularly women´s NGOs in their advocacy

role and ensure that they can access EU funds including those by the European Social Fund in

the new programming period, the Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme and other

funding schemes.