European Parliament adopts landmark position on sexual and reproductive rights
June 2021. On June 23rd, the European Parliament voted in favor of a landmark report presented by the Croatian Member of European Parliament (MEP) Predrag Fred Matić on “the situation of sexual and reproductive health and rights in the EU”.
This report is the first of its kind in almost 10 years to give such a degree of political importance to SRHR at EU level; it addresses the full range of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and highlights the importance of accessing all essential SRH services, including comprehensive sexuality education, contraception, abortion, maternal health and fertility services; and of preventing and addressing sexual and gender-based violence.
Paragraph 32 “recalls that Member States and public authorities have a responsibility to provide evidence-based, accurate information about contraception and to establish strategies to tackle and dispel barriers, myths, stigma and misconceptions; calls on the Member States to establish awareness-raising programmes and campaigns on modern contraceptive choices and the full range of contraceptives, and to provide high-quality modern contraceptive service delivery and counselling by healthcare professionals, including emergency contraception without prescription, in line with WHO standards, which is often denied in certain countries by doctors on the grounds of personal beliefs;”
Visit the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual & Reproductive Rights (EPF) website for further details and download the report here.
