Image: Placard reads “Boss in my own belly”, a Dutch abortion rights campaigning slogan in the 1980s. PHOTO: ANP/ Sabine Joosten
Comment in response by MJP Kruijer, General Practitioner, Amsterdam, 4 March 2025:
“Radical idea; if we want fewer abortions, should we simply make contraception fully and freely accessible to all women again? And perhaps if doctors from our profession also put up a bit more of a fight against all that disinformation…”
The Lower House wants the government to investigate whether abolishing the mandatory reflection period is contributing to the recent increase in the number of abortions. A majority of the parliamentary groups also want to bring forward the evaluation of the Termination of Pregnancy Act. Several professional associations, including that of abortion doctors, fear that these investigations could lead to reduced access to abortion care.
SGP MP Diederik van Dijk had submitted a motion to investigate whether the abolition of the mandatory reflection period as of 1 January 2023 has contributed to the increase in the number of abortions. This was supported by Denk, NSC, ChristenUnie, SGP, BBB, CDA, PVV and Forum voor Democratie. The motion on an early evaluation of the Termination of Pregnancy Act came from NSC MP Ria de Korte, and was supported by the same parties.
Another motion by the SGP MP was not adopted. He proposed to have ‘the factors and motives for an abortion (request)’ registered in future and to have this information, aggregated and anonymous, published annually by the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate. This motion was voted on by roll call, with only 15 of the 147 MPs present voting in favour.
The reason for the three motions was an increase in the number of abortions since 2022. While the number of abortions in 2012 fluctuated between 30,000 and 33,000 per year, this rose to over 39,000 in 2023.
Another motion by the SGP MP was not adopted. He proposed to have ‘the factors and motives for an abortion (request)’ registered in future and to have this information, aggregated and anonymous, published annually by the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate. This motion was voted on by roll call, with only 15 of the 147 MPs present voting in favour.
The reason for the three motions is an increase in the number of abortions since 2022. While the number of abortions in 2012 fluctuated between 30,000 and 33,000 per year, this rose to over 39,000 in 2023.
The Dutch Society of Abortion Doctors (NGvA) had advised against the motions in the run-up to the vote. On 28 February, the NGvA stated in a letter to the members of the House of Representatives: ‘There is no indication that the abolition of the mandatory deliberation period has led to an increase in the number of abortions. Additional research adds nothing and wastes time and money.’ They further write: ‘We see in other countries how reproductive rights are being restricted step by step, often under the guise of registration and so-called neutral regulations. And the gynaecologists’ association NVOG recently posted the statement on its website that ‘an investigation into the reasons for abortion is unnecessary and undesirable’. ‘It suggests a duty of accountability and increases the risk of stigmatisation and reduced access to care.’ The Rutgers Foundation, which advocates for women’s rights, also stated that the three motions could restrict access to abortion care.
In a plenary parliamentary debate on 20 February, VWS State Secretary Vincent Karremans (VVD, Youth, Prevention and Sports) also advised against all motions. He did indicate that the planned evaluation of the Termination of Pregnancy Act in 2027 will also take into account the effects of abolishing the mandatory deliberation period and the prescription of the abortion pill by general practitioners.
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Behind the news: ‘Tampering with abortion laws starts with asking questions and ends with restricting them’: Abortion doctors and gynaecologists fear a slippery slope
The number of abortions has been increasing in recent years. Politicians are stirring and want to know the reasons. But abortion doctors and gynaecologists fear that women’s autonomy is being affected.
….While the number of abortions in the Netherlands… fluctuated between 30,000 and 33,000 per year until 2022, this rose to over 39,000 in 2023. According to the political parties SGP, NSC and BBB, this was sufficient reason to submit three motions on this subject to the House of Representatives at the end of February 2025 to try and find out why. Abortion providers and women’s rights groups were concerned that this would lead to attempts to reduce the numbers again by restricting the law and access, which became clear in a report dated 18 March 2025.
The answer may be much simpler, however. A look at the Netherlands’ population figures from 2012 to 2025 shows that the total population grew from 16,73 million in 2012 to 17,81 million in 2023. It would take a statistician to calculate how many additional women of childbearing age that implies and what the higher pregnancy rate per year would have been. But clearly, with an extra 1.1 million people in 2012 as compared to 2023, a few thousand extra abortions does not sound outrageous. (See https://www.cbs.nl/en-gb/visualisations/dashboard-population/population-counter for a graph showing the steady increase in population between 1900 and 2023.)
SOURCES: MedischContact.nl, by Sophie Niemansburg, 4 March 2025 ; MedischContact.nl, by Sophie Niemansburg, 18 March 2025. [Population growth as the reason for increased pregnancies and abortions, suggested by Marge Berer.]