EAround 300 people marched in the center of Brussels on Saturday to mark the International Day for the Right to Abortion. At the call of various organizations, they expressed their anger at the rejection of a proposed law on the modernization of abortion.
“Marches are being organized all over the world today. Given the political situation on the subject of the right to abortion in our country, we found it particularly important to demonstrate as well,” commented Alessandra Moonens, member of the United Feminist Front. The latter brings together various activist organizations, including Collecti.ef 8 maars, the ADES Network and the Anticapitalist Left.
Proposals from the PS, Ecolo-Groen, PTB and Open Vld aimed to revise the law partially decriminalizing voluntary termination of pregnancy (abortion). These texts reflect the conclusions of a committee of experts submitted in spring 2023 and are based on the extension to 18 weeks of the period within which an abortion can be performed, as well as the elimination of the reflection period. On Tuesday, the Justice Committee rejected the PS’s proposal, while on Monday evening federal trainer Bart De Wever (N-VA) announced that the five parties of the future Arizona coalition (N-VA, CD&V, Vooruit, MR and the Engaged) had agreed to reject parliamentary texts which did not achieve consensus between them.
Alessandra Moonens sees it as “an affront” addressed to feminist organizations. “At a time when Arizona’s parties should have taken responsibility, they failed to do so. » The demonstrators demand that all women, also undocumented, have access to a safe abortion, an extension of the time limit for carrying out a voluntary termination of pregnancy and a reduction from six to two days of the reflection time imposed on women. Clinics performing abortions must also be refinanced, they argue.
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