TO: Ursula von der Leyen, President-elect of the European Commission, Brussels, 1 October 2019
RE: Call to President-Elect Von der Leyen to support women’s reproductive rights in the EU
Dear
Madam President-Elect Von der Leyen,
“In
light of this year’s International Safe Abortion Day we, Members of the
European Parliament (MEPs) and Members of Parliament of the Netherlands, call
upon you to secure the rights of the 15 million women in the European Union who
still lack access to safe and legal abortion.
“The
EU is founded upon the shared values of human dignity, freedom, equality, and
respect for human rights as stated in Article 2 of the Treaty on European
Union. We pride ourselves in being a union of values. This notion, however,
does not hold up when it comes to the sexual and reproductive health and rights
of women across our Union. Recent years have witnessed an upsurge in efforts of
governments and anti-choice movements to obstruct a woman’s right to choose. In
some Member States, abortion can even lead to a woman’s imprisonment.
“The
new European Commission’s mandate for the next five years presents you with an
outstanding opportunity to strengthen sexual and reproductive health and rights
across the EU. Together we must stand in solidarity with women in each of our
Member States and reiterate our strong commitment to a woman’s right to decide
over her own body.
“Exactly
40 years ago, Simone Veil was elected as the European Parliament’s first female
President. She dedicated her career to the defence and advancement of women’s
rights and, in doing so, became a role model to us all. We hope that, to honour
her legacy, you – as the first female President of the European Commission –
will make a woman’s right to choose a priority in your agenda for the next five
years.”
Yours
sincerely,
Vera
Tax (S&D, NL)
Lilianne
Ploumen (Member of Parliament of the Netherlands – Founder and Co-Chair of
SheDecides)
Corinne
Ellemeet (Member of Parliament of Netherlands)
The original text and full list of signatory MEPs for Sexual and Reproductive Rights is available here.