Amnesty International Highlights Growing Obstacles to Abortion Access Across Europe

Amnesty International's recent report exposes a concerning rise in policies that restrict access to abortion services throughout Europe. Despite decades of advances in reproductive rights, women and marginalized groups continue to face numerous barriers — from refusals of care on conscience grounds and long waiting periods to financial costs and a lack of trained medical personnel. Notably, countries such as Italy and Croatia have high rates of care refusals, while Hungary and Turkey have imposed stringent regulations, including mandatory spousal consent for married women seeking abortions. The report also underscores the disproportionate impact of these obstacles on vulnerable populations, including low-income women, adolescents, LGBTIQ+ individuals, and asylum seekers. Amnesty draws attention to an emerging, well-funded transnational anti-gender movement driving regressive laws, often fueled by racist rhetoric concerning demographic changes. In response, Amnesty's Monica Costa Riba calls on European governments to urgently align abortion access policies with international human rights standards and to resist pressures from anti-rights groups that endanger safe abortion services. This development takes place amid broader political tensions in Europe, marked by increasing far-right activism—as seen in recent events in Paris advocating for EU dismantlement—raising concerns about the future landscape for human rights and progressive policies across the continent.