Belgium's debate on abortion is being reignited as the Belgian Green parties (Groen and Ecolo) put a new bill on the table to raise the abortion deadline from 12 to 18 weeks, in line with a scientific advice report.
The debate on relaxing Belgium's abortion laws has been going on since the beginning of the current Federal Government's legislature in October 2020 – and even before that, when it briefly looked as if discussions on the extension would block the coalition's formation.
"These adjustments to abortion legislation – recommended by the scientific committee – are crucial to strengthen women's rights in our country and recognise women's right to choose over their own bodies," Federal Groen MP Eva Platteau said now.
In Belgium, abortion has been legal under certain conditions since 1990: in principle, a pregnancy must be terminated before the end of the 12th week after conception. Those wishing to have an abortion also have a mandatory reflection period of six days and are required to be informed on adoption options.
A doctor or pregnant woman who fails to comply with the legal conditions for abortion still risks a specific fine or even imprisonment.
Not ignoring scientific advice
In 2020, six of the seven ruling parties (socialists Vooruit and PS, liberals Open VLD and MR, and greens Groen and Ecolo) as well as opposition parties radical leftist PVDA-PTB and Brussels' Défi, backed an extension of the abortion window from 12 to 18 weeks, a shortening of the reflection period from six days to 48 hours and the removal of voluntary termination of pregnancy from the penal code.
However, the seventh ruling party (Christian democrat CD&V) opposed these relaxations, and was supported by both the Flemish rightwing N-VA and extreme-right Vlaams Belang.
Several times, they referred the proposal to the Council of State. After that – at the insistence of CD&V – it was agreed in the Federal Government's coalition agreement that the legislation would first have to be evaluated by experts.
That expert evaluation was delivered last spring: in an advice report handed to the government, a scientific committee stated that the abortion deadline can indeed go to at least 18 weeks and that the six-day reflection period can be scrapped altogether.
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Following the report, CD&V made it clear that it could agree to an extension to 14 weeks (not 18), and the majority indicated that it would start looking for an agreement. Since then, however, things remained quiet.
"We call on the other parties to follow the scientific consensus," Platteau said when tabling the latest proposal. "It is unthinkable to simply let the report and recommendations sit in the drawer."
Previously, the green parties also proposed bills to make emergency contraception more accessible and to include the right to abortion in the constitution.
