There is still ambiguity over Belgium's abortion law, which Doctors of the World have called a travesty for the 6 million women in the country for whom it is unclear where they stand on the matter.
On the occasion of International Day of Access to Safe Abortion (Thursday), the organisation is urgently calling for clarity. Earlier this year, an independent expert committee published its recommendations for abortion law reform, which included a proposal to raise the abortion deadline from 12 to 18 weeks.
In response, the Flemish Christian-democratic CD&V party agreed to raise the period within which abortion is allowed from 12 to 14 weeks but did not want to go as far as the experts had suggested. Already in 2019, a majority was forming in the House of Representatives to reform the law.
"But just months before the elections, there remains a deafening silence on this issue," said Ellen Verryt, Coordinator of Flanders Doctors of the World. "This is a disgrace for all 6 million women in our country. They have the right to know where they stand."
Violating basic rights
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. There is also an obligation to discuss adoption options. A doctor or pregnant woman who fails to comply risks a fine or even imprisonment.
The organisation has called on the government to increase the period during which abortion is possible from 12 weeks to 18 weeks of pregnancy and to remove the mandatory six-day reflection period for all women and girls. The call comes one day after majority parties Green and Ecolo announced they were tabling a bill to raise the abortion period from 12 to 18 weeks.
Doctors of the World stressed that the current abortion law violates the basic rights of women as it structurally prevents vulnerable women without papers or access to care from seeking a voluntary abortion. They have to ask permission from the Social Services (PCSW) for an abortion through a separate procedure.
"That in itself is a humiliating and unacceptable situation. What is even more absurd is that under the current legislation, one must then pass via six to eight healthcare providers, sometimes undergo up to 10 interviews and wait up to nine weeks before (maybe) getting consent. It sometimes happens that the abortion request is still refused at the end," Verryt said.
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In extreme cases, this can mean that victims of sexual violence fail to terminate their pregnancies. In others, women end up begging friends and family to pay for the abortion out of their own pockets.
The organisation noted that this procrastination is "all the more painful" as the new law would work towards fairer access for vulnerable women in Belgium.
