Overview
- Lawmakers voted 358–202, with 79 abstentions, to endorse creating a voluntary, opt-in mechanism financed from the EU budget.
- The scheme would enable people blocked by restrictive laws at home to receive abortion care in another member state free of charge.
- The proposal targets residents of countries with near-total bans such as Malta and Poland and those facing barriers in places including Italy and Croatia.
- Supporters say it would reduce unsafe procedures and ease costs for those already traveling for care, with doctors citing bills of up to about £1,000 in the Netherlands.
- Conservative and far-right MEPs and allied groups opposed the measure as EU overreach into national policy, as the Commission now weighs whether to act on the initiative.