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Early life > Abortion
Prof. emeritus Dr. Bernard Spitz: “Abortion: between fundamental right and crime against humanity”.
Author / Source : Prof. em. dr. Bernard Spitz Published on : Thematic : Early life / Abortion News Temps de lecture : 5 min.
Abortion, the intentional termination of a pregnancy, has long been a subject of passionate debate in society and the legislature. It straddles the fine line between the right to self-determination and the protection of the life of the unborn child. In this contribution, we wish to examine the complexity of abortion, but rather as a principle, at a meta-level, detached from concrete clinical practice. This has the advantage of not prejudicing individual, sometimes heart-rending, cases. From a...
EIB NEWS : UN criticises Belgium for ‘high rate’ of abortions linked to prenatal Down’s Syndrome tests
Author / Source : EIB Published on : Thematic : Early life / Abortion News Temps de lecture : 2 min.
The fact that the negative perception of people with disabilities leads to a high rate of abortions due to Down's syndrome is in practice linked to the widespread use of the NIP-test as a screening method in Belgium. This non-invasive blood test is routinely offered to pregnant women, and is fully reimbursed by the Belgian state. Although healthcare providers are supposed to leave the choice to couples faced with the news of a disability, more than 95% of pregnancies are nevertheless...
Abortion: the European Parliament calls for complete decriminalisation
Author / Source : IEB Published on : Thematic : Early life / Abortion News Temps de lecture : 2 min.
On 11 April 2024, the European Parliament voted (336 in favour, 163 against and 39 abstentions) for a resolution to amend Article 3 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union to include the right to abortion. Although European Parliament resolutions are not binding, they nevertheless express the official position of the legislative body if a majority of MEPs vote in favour of them. As for the Charter of Fundamental Rights, it is binding on the Member States, but only when the...
Constitutionalisation of abortion in France: a high-risk symbol
Author / Source : IEB Published on : Thematic : Early life / Abortion News Temps de lecture : 3 min.
At Versailles on Monday 4 March 2024, French parliamentarians meeting in Congress voted 780 to 52 to include the freedom to have an abortion in the Constitution. The single article aimed at amending article 34 of the Constitution was added to the list of citizens' rights and freedoms in the following terms: "The law shall determine the conditions under which the freedom guaranteed to a woman to have recourse to a voluntary interruption of pregnancy is exercised". "Guaranteed freedom":...
Protection of the embryo: the Alabama Supreme Court recognises that embryos are "unborn children"
Author / Source : IEB Published on : Thematic : Early life / Abortion News Temps de lecture : 1 min.
The ruling was prompted by a complaint lodged against a clinic by three couples whose embryos stored for in vitro fertilisation were accidentally destroyed in 2020. The Supreme Court based its decision on the Wrongful Death of a Minor Act of 1872. The justices relied on specific case law (Mack v. Carmack) to define the term "minor child" and to declare that unborn children fell within that definition - "regardless of stage of development and regardless of location", in the words of Justice...
France and Belgium: abortion remains an icon of ideological battles
Author / Source : IEB Published on : Thematic : Early life / Abortion News Temps de lecture : 2 min.
The bill is particularly opposed by many healthcare professionals, who see the constitutionalization of abortion as a direct threat to their freedom of conscience. In the event of the constitutionalization of abortion, Emmanuel Sapin, Professor of Pediatric and Neonatal Surgery, calls for the right of healthcare professionals to conscientious objection to abortion to be enshrined in the Constitution. In a letter co-signed by numerous healthcare professionals...
Sexuality and abortion: The European Parliament Adopts the Matic Report
Author / Source : European Institute of Bioethics Published on : Thematic : Early life / Abortion News Temps de lecture : 2 min.
More broadly, with the expression "reproductive and sexual rights", the resolution calls on the European Union (EU) Member States to guarantee access to: "comprehensive sexual education; modern contraceptive methods; care during childbirth and the pre- and post-natal periods; obstetric care; new-born care; services providing safe and legal abortions; prevention and treatment of HIV infection and other STIs; services to detect, prevent and treat sexual and gender-based violence; treatment of ca...