My Voice, My Choice: reproductive rights, specifically access to safe and legal abortion in Europe
”My Voice, My Choice” is democracy knocking on your door. And history will remember who answered and who looked away.
“My Voice, My Choice” is a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI). An ECI is a tool that lets citizens ask the European Commission to consider new EU-level action.
In this case, the initiative is focused on reproductive rights, specifically access to safe and legal abortion in Europe.
Facebook reel of Abir Al-Sahlani’s address to parliament
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1436536994469093
Aims:
It does not aim to change abortion laws in each country directly. Instead, it calls for:
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An EU-funded voluntary solidarity mechanism that would help people who cannot access abortion in their own country by enabling them to receive care in another EU country where it is legal.
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With EU-level financial support helping make that possible
So it’s about cross-border access and funding support, not forcing countries to change their laws.
Why it matters politically
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It collected over 1.1 million signatures across the EU
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So it has surpassed the threshold required for the Commission to formally respond
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The European Commission has already issued its official reply (early 2026) and is considering next steps
It’s part of a wider debate about sexual and reproductive health rights in the EU, where healthcare policy is mostly national, not EU-level.
Who is Abir Al-Sahlani?
Abir Al-Sahlani is a Member of the European Parliament (MEP).
Key facts:
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🇸🇪 Swedish politician (originally born in Iraq)
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Member of the Renew Europe political group
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Works in the European Parliament’s Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM)
Her role in “My Voice, My Choice”
She was one of the key parliamentary figures supporting the initiative:
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She acted as rapporteur (the MEP responsible for leading the Parliament’s position on it)
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She helped steer the resolution that backed the initiative in Parliament
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She publicly framed it as a human rights and bodily autonomy issue
One of her main messages in the debate was that women should have control over their own bodies, not governments or politicians deciding for them.
In simple terms
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My Voice, My Choice = a citizen-led EU campaign to improve cross-border access to abortion care through EU funding support
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Abir Al-Sahlani = the MEP who helped lead and publicly defend the initiative inside the European Parliament
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