This article was originally published in English
Italy’s hard-right government that holds the G7 presidency is seeking to remove any reference to safe access to abortion from the text of the leaders’ final declaration, currently under negotiation.
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Negotiations on the text of the final declaration from the G7 summit — which takes place in Italy from Thursday to Saturday — are ongoing, but sources told Euronews that thehe members of the group of rich nations disagree on a side clause concerning the right to abortion.
The French and Canadian delegations are pushing for an addition to the text in which the leaders “affirm the importance of preserving and ensuring effective access to safe and legal abortion and post-abortion care“, according to a draft text seen by Euronews.
The aim of this formulation is to reinforce the conclusions adopted by the group last year, which ensured “the full commitment of leaders to achieving full sexual and reproductive health and rights for all, including addressing access to safe and legal abortion and post-abortion care“.
Some G7 countries, such as Germany and the United States, would prefer to keep the wording of this declaration, signed at the leaders’ meeting in Hiroshima in 2023, instead of the slightly stronger wording proposed today by France and Canada.
The most recent draft text proposed by Italywhich holds the presidency of the G7 this year, was seen by Euronews. It removes any reference to abortion and instead includes a pro-life reference, which has sparked controversy.
It suggests the commitment of leaders “to further promote sexual and reproductive health and rights for all, and to advance the health of mothers, newborns, children and adolescents, particularly for those in vulnerable situations“.
He is “very unfortunate that the language on abortion has been weakened“, a source working on the text told Euronews.
“The right to abortion is not negotiable. It is the duty of the G7 to lead the way in promoting such values, not going backwards.”a diplomat told Euronews on condition of anonymity.
Meloni’s government is sticking to the wording it proposed and a row over the wording is ongoing, the sources said.
Italy recently approved a law that allows anti-abortion groups access to abortion centers to try to convince women not to terminate their pregnancies.
In contrast, French lawmakers voted last March to add a line guaranteeing the “freedom” of abortion to the country’s constitution.
Pope Francis is also expected to attend the meeting of the world’s leading industrialized nations, but only to talk about the risks of artificial intelligence.
Additional sources • adaptation: Serge Duchêne
