Sexual and Reproductiuve Health and
Rights under Threat :
global implications of increasing European
conservatism
NEIL DATTA, SECRETARY
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARY FORUM ON
POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT
SEMINAR OF THE FINNISH ALL-PARTY
PARLIAMENTARY GROUP ON POPULATION
AND DEVELOPMENT
17 SEPTEMBER 2014
Global implications of increasing European conservatism
 Recent trends in Europe on SRHR:

Largely secularised continent

SRHR battle has been ‘won’ , now moving on to LGBT equality
West Europe : SRHR = historic women’s rights gain on 1960s / 1970s
 East Europe: SRHR legacy of Soviet past


Overlapping and mutually influencing pan-European legal
framework

Distinct increase in both East and West Europe of anti-choice / antiSRHR activism
Questioning SRHR indirectly & ‘wedge issues’
1
2
3
4
5
Abortion for
fœtal
abnormality /
late abortion
Sex–selective
abortion
Conscientious
Objection
Out–dated
abortion laws
Public funds
involved in
human embryo
destruction
90+% down
syndrom foetuses
are aborted
100+million
‘missing girls’
Respect for
religious freedom
Abortion laws
dating from Soviet
period
Public funds for
stem cell research
and abortion / not
EU competence
Council of Europe,
European Parliament,
Sweden, Norway,
FYR– Macedonia
European Union,
Spain, Poland,
Germany, France
Council of Europe,
Italy,
Russia
European Parliament
UK, Ireland, Canada,
Australia
Council of Europe
East Europe
Anti-SRHR initiatives
Grass roots mobilisation against abortion & LGBT
rights – Spain, France, East Europe

Estonia: 35,000 sign petition to oppose legal recognition of same-sex couples (May 2013)

750,000 Sign Petition Opposing Same-Sex Marriage in Croatia (June 2013)
Socially conservative online organisation
CitizenGO
is a community of active citizens that seeks
to promote the participation of society in
politics. we are:
1,559,224 active citizens · join us now!
What do you want to change?
Where does it come from ?
European Opposition: 3 families & 9 sub-categories
1. Continental
Catholic Mainstream
Mainstream
centre-right,
Catholic
initiatives
Vatican centred,
ecumenical
initiatives
Catholic
mainstream
« Hard Right »
250 out of 490
2. Ecumenical
Traditionalists
North European
Catholics
Evangelical
Protestants
Orthodox
130 out of 490
3. « Ultras »
Extremists
Political Parties
Traditionalist
Catholics
(incl . old Military Religious Orders)
Tradition, Family
and Property
(TFP)
110 out of 490
Impact on EU
 Previous Parliament
 Estrela (SRHR) and Zuber (gender) reports – lost
 Lunacek report (LGBT) – won
 Spammed by 10.000 religious / ultra-conservative emails
 Recurring / on-going
 Longer -term
EU budget – attempts to cut SRHR funding
Amendment text
for the EU Draft Budget presented in
2010, 2011 & 2012
“Stresses that Community assistance should not be
given to any authority, organization or programme
which
supports
or
participates
in
the
management of an action which involves such
human rights abuses as coercive abortion,
involuntary sterilization or infanticide, especially
where such actions apply their priorities though
psychological, social, economic or legal pressure, thus
finally implementing the specific Cairo ICPD
prohibition on coercion or compulsion in sexual and
reproductive health matters; calls on the Commission
to present a report on the implementation of the EU’s
external assistance covering this programme.”
Kemp-Kasten Amendment adopted
in 1985 in US House of
Representatives
“None of the funds made available in this bill nor
any
unobligated
balances
from
prior
appropriations may be made available to any
organization or program which, as determined by
the President of the United States, supports or
participates in the management of a
program of coercive abortion or involuntary
sterilization.”
One of Us
 1,7 million signatures
 Hearing in European
Parliament April 2014
 European Commision
“One of Us” asks the EU to end the
financing of activities which
presuppose the destruction of human
embryos, in particular in the areas of
research, development aid and public
health.”
decision May 2014
 Legal challenge July 2014
 Could last another 2 years
European Parliament 2014 – anti-choice pledge signatories
Party
N° MEP
signatories
% of party
membership antichoice pledge
signatory
EPP
38
17,19%
ECR
22
31,43%
ALDE
1
1,49%
EFD
Others &
NI
2
4.17%
17
32,69%
Total
80
Pro- / Anti- SRHR in the new EP
Pro-choice
EP
2014-19
EP
2009-14
Anti-choice
EP
2014-19
EP
2009-14
S&D
191
196
EPP
221
274
ALDE
67
83
ECR
70
57
Greens
50
57
NI
52
33
GUE/NGL
52
35
EFD
48
31
Sub-total
360
371
Sub-total
391
395
%
47.94%
48.43%
%
52.06%
51.57%
Conclusions
 Gains in SRHR are not as safe as we once throught –
increasingly called into question
 Increasingly co-ordinated (within Europe and globally, esp.
with USA) , but not a unified movement
 Sophisticated and legal anti)SRHR argumentation around:
1) Life
2) Family
3) Religious Freedom
 Requires us to be vigilant and vocally assertive of pro-SRHR
positions
Thank You!
Neil Datta
Secretary
European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development
23 Rue Montoyer
1000 Brussels
Belgium
www.epfweb.org