(LifeSiteNews) — The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) has criticized a push to introduce state funding for abortion at the EU level.
Ahead of the vote for the pro-abortion initiative “My Voice, My Choice” in the European Parliament on December 17, COMECE issued a statement expressing its concern about the push for abortion funding at the EU level.
“COMECE raises these concerns from the perspective of the teaching of the Catholic Church, which has consistently affirmed that ‘human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception … Direct abortion, that is, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, §§2270–2271),” the statement reads.
The European bishops also warned that forcing member states to fund abortion would violate “national competences and the principle of subsidiarity for ideological reasons.”
“Moreover, we believe that women in vulnerable situations need forms of support other than those proposed by the present and similar initiatives aimed at facilitating abortion,” COMECE said.
“My Voice, My Choice” is a European Citizens’ Initiative that received over 1.2 million signatures and must therefore be voted on by the European Parliament. The initiative calls on the European Commission to create a legal framework for an EU fund that member states who choose to participate in it could use to provide “safe” access to women who lack the finances to obtain an abortion. Unsurprisingly, the proposal fails to mention that abortions are never safe for the unborn child that is being killed in the process.
The initiative was passed by the European Parliament on Wednesday with 358 votes in favor, 202 against, and 79 abstentions. However, the acceptance of the Parliament is non-binding, does not have an immediate legal effect, and can be seen more as a symbolic gesture. The European Commission has until March 2026 to respond to the initiative and decide what actions it plans to take in response.
Right-wing parties, as well as COMECE, have criticized the pro-abortion funding push on the grounds that the health policy falls under the purview of the member states and not the European Union. While abortion is allowed under various conditions in most EU member states, Poland and Malta still outlaw the practice in almost all cases.
“COMECE also wishes to underline that the collective term ‘sexual and reproductive health and rights’ cannot include abortion as an essential health service that should be made universally available,” the organization stated. “A medical intervention of such gravity and with such important ethical implications cannot and must not be normalised. Other legal frameworks, based on ethical policy decisions made by Member States, are both possible and legitimate.”
“In the debate on abortion, what is needed is not further ideological division, but rather prudent policies that genuinely protect and support women, while also safeguarding unborn human life,” The European bishops concluded.
“My Voice, My Choice” is not the only pro-abortion initiative recently discussed at the EU level. Pro-lifers have also criticized the proposed revision of the Victims’ Rights Directive 2012/29/EU, in which abortion is now explicitly mentioned as part of institutional support services.
Several European pro-life organizations see this as a highly problematic precedent. As kath.net reports, critics have pointed out that the term “abortion” would thus be explicitly enshrined in an EU legal act for the first time, creating the impression that it is part of regular health care services. At the same time, there are fears that this will further blur the lines of responsibility between the EU and member states in the long term, with the EU increasingly centralizing more power in Brussels.