OGBL supports the enshrinement of the right to abortion
Camylla Battani, Unsplash
The trade union department for equality OGBL Equality has officially supported the parliamentary initiative to include the right to voluntary abortion (IVG) in the Luxembourg Constitution. As the statement emphasises, the move is a continuation of a long-standing struggle for women's rights and fairness in the workplace, which is not limited to wages or workplace conditions. According to the union, without reproductive freedom it is impossible to talk about full equality.
The depenalisation of abortion in 2014 was a major breakthrough. However, OGBL believes that such a fundamental right cannot be subject to political expediency. With the world's social climate tightening and women's rights under attack, the protection of the right to abortion requires constitutional safeguards to prevent future rollbacks.
The union pays particular attention to the link between economic vulnerability and access to reproductive care. According to the OGBL, 22 per cent of women in Luxembourg live in precarious conditions. Free contraception, introduced in 2023, is already an important step forward, but access to abortion should also be free and, most importantly, unconditional and confidential.
OGBL Equality has acceded to a number of specific demands from women's organisations including:
- National study on sexual and reproductive health;
- Expanding access to IVG up to 14 weeks of gestation;
- the abolition of the mandatory three-day "reflection period";
- Ensuring that the first ultrasound can be performed by any trained physician, without unnecessary bureaucratic barriers.
In solidarity with the movement to constitutionalise abortion rights, OGBL is supporting a rally organised by Planning Familial to be held in front of Parliament on 15 September at 9:00am.
