The Norwegian government has proposed a new bill extending self-determined abortion rights from 12 weeks up to the 18th week. If the bill is passed by the Norwegian Parliament, it will mark a significant victory for sexual rights in Norway. However, this right will not be equally accessible across the country. Sex og Politikk, the Norwegian Member Association of IPPF, asserts that viability should not be a political decision and that respect for human life cannot be legislated. Sex og Politikk has been actively engaged in discussions on the new abortion law since the Government established a committee in 2022 to look into the country’s almost 50 year old abortion legislation. The organization has participated in a separate committee of feminist NGOs, closely following the development of the law and contributing to the debate. This month, Health and Care Minister Jan Christian Vestre and the government introduced proposals for a new abortion law. While welcoming this milestone in the fight for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), Sex og Politikk argues that the proposal needs revision on key points. Just three years ago, few would have anticipated a new abortion law in Norway. The government's proposal represents progress, but it also reveals significant weaknesses from an SRHR perspective. The law remains entrenched in outdated beliefs that abortions should only be conducted at regional hospitals. In reality, most abortions today are performed at home with medication, not through surgical interventions. Despite this, the government's proposal still limits abortion care to specialist healthcare providers, even as it calls for further investigation into the role of primary healthcare in offering abortion care. This limitation complicates access to abortion, especially for those living far from hospitals. "We need a law that simplifies, not complicates, access to abortion care," says Kjersti Augland, Assistant General Manager of Sex og Politikk. "For most women who currently undergo abortion at home after receiving medication from a hospital, direct access through primary healthcare would provide more compassionate and accessible care. The current law particularly disadvantages those living in remote areas, far from hospitals."   A Necessary and Increased Recognition Sex og Politikk supports the proposal to extend self-determination up to the 18th week, including the possibility to reduce the number of fetuses. This represents a necessary acknowledgment of a pregnant woman's right to make independent decisions about her body and life. The new law will effectively allow 98-99% of Norwegian women seeking abortions to make autonomous decisions about their bodies. Additionally, Sex og Politikk welcomes the bill's provisions that strengthen the independent right to be heard for people living with disabilities. The organization also supports the proposal that abortion should never be forced, and the right to complete a pregnancy should be legally protected.   Concerns About Statutory Discrimination Sex og Politikk is critical of the law's wording that it "must ensure respect for unborn life." The organization argues that this clause may impose guilt and shame on women rather than achieving the law’s aim to ensure the pregnant person’s right to decide over their own body without being subject to pressure. The bill also mandates follow-up medical interviews for those who have undergone an abortion. Sex og Politikk views this as statutory discrimination, as it creates unequal treatment between those who have had an abortion, those whose applications have been denied, and those who withdraw their applications. If follow-up rights are to be included, they should be available to all who need them.   Viability Should Not Be a Political Decision   Sex og Politikk also opposes the proposal to legislate a strict 22-week limit for abortion care. The organization argues that viability assessments are complex medical determinations that should be made on a case-by-case basis, not through rigid political decisions. It is inappropriate for politicians to assume the role of healthcare professionals in deciding viability. "The government's proposal is a step in the right direction toward a law that better reflects current realities and needs," concludes Kjersti Augland. "However, we believe the proposal requires revision on several key points." We will continue to follow these developments as the law makes its way through the parliament.   Illustration: Olga Mrozek for IPPF x Fine Acts

Paving the Way for an Equality-Centred Policy Cycle - Civil Society Joint Statement The European Union was founded on the principles of equality and non-discrimination. Yet too many people continue to face discrimination and inequality across the Union, including intersectional and multiple forms of discrimination in all aspects of their lives. In the current climate, it is now imperative that the EU institutions strengthen their resolve to take meaningful and urgent action to address this reality. As European Union leaders decide on their priorities for the 2024-2029 cycle, we call on them to ensure that equality and non-discrimination are included as central priorities in the EU work programme for the next five years. Only by centring equality and protection from discrimination in this way can the EU truly respond to the key concerns of people living in the Union. The equality and non-discrimination agenda was afforded increased visibility and action during the last five years as a result of the ambitious “Union of Equality” agenda and the appointment of the first Commissioner for Equality. This led to unprecedented progress in efforts to advance equality and non-discrimination across EU policy making. Progress included the adoption of important initiatives such as the Directive on violence against women, inaugural Gender Equality and LGBTIQ Equality Strategies, an Anti-Racism Action Plan, a Green Paper on Ageing, an Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion, a Strategy to strengthen the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the EU, as well as the renewal of the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the EU Roma strategic framework. At this critical juncture, it is vital that the EU continue to prioritize efforts to guarantee the founding values of equality and non-discrimination, to advance the entire package which comprises the Union of Equality, and to ensure an intersectional approach to this agenda. Failure to do so would seriously jeopardise progress in this area and mark a very dangerous step backward.   To this end we call on EU leadership to take the following steps: Appoint a Commissioner for Equality and Fundamental Rights, ensuring the mandate has the power to renew and deepen the Union of Equality agenda and nominating a candidate with a demonstrated commitment to equality; Strengthen the Union of Equality agenda by introducing new strategies to address grounds not already covered, mainstreaming all strategies across policy areas and renewing and building-out existing equality strategies, such as the Gender Equality Strategy, LGBTIQ Equality Strategy, the EU Anti-Racism Action Plan, the Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion, the EU Strategy on the rights of persons with disabilities and the Roma strategic framework; Ensure the next EU budget includes robust funding streams for civil society organisations working on equality and non-discrimination; Ensure equality and non-discrimination objectives are also core components of EU priorities in the sphere of international cooperation, external and humanitarian action; Maintain the current status of the Parliament’s Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality and refrain from weakening its mandate; Establish a Council configuration dedicated to equality in the EU and ensure concrete commitments towards implementation of equality strategies by member states; Establish a new Directorate-General for Equality and Fundamental Rights thereby strengthening the Commission’s ability to design and monitor equality and non-discrimination laws and policies; Renew and upgrade the mandates of the Commission Coordinators working on equality, ensuring a focus on intersectionality during this term; Entrust the Commission Task Force on Equality with a strong mandate and ensure it works transparently and in close consultation and cooperation with civil society organizations and networks. --- As 143 civil society organisations with significant expertise on equality, and as representatives of groups at increased risk of discrimination across the EU, we issue this call as a testament to our solidarity with each other, and urge EU leaders to ensure that the people most affected by EU policies and legislation on equality and non-discrimination are always involved in their development and implementation: A Scuola Per Conoscerci, Italy ACCEPT LGBTI Cyprus ACCEPT Romania ACT Alliance EU AESCO (América, España, Solidaridad y Cooperación)  Agapanto, Italy AGE Platform Europe Agedo Nazionale, Italy Aidos (Italian Association for Women in Development) ALFI - Associazione Lesbica Femminista Italiana, Italy AlfiLune, Italy Amnesty International Amref Health Africa - Italy Anemos Dimiourgias - Greece ANTAMA (Greece) Anti-Discrimination Centre Memorial Brussels APRe! Associação de Aposentados, Pensionistas e Reformados (Portugal) ARCIGAY LGBTQIA+ Association, Italy ASKV Refugee Support Asociación de Investigación y Especialización sobre Temas Iberoamericanos - AIETI (Spain) Asociación Por Ti Mujer Association Bagdam Espace Lesbian - France Association Legebitra, Slovenia Association Libellula ITALIA APS, Italy Association Liberas - Italy Association for Monitoring Equal Rights / Eşit Haklar İçin İzleme Derneği (Turkey) ASTRA Network ATDAL Over 40 (Italy) Austrian Disability Council Austrian Family Planning Association (OGF) Autism-Europe Avaaz Avocats Sans Frontières Belgian Disability Forum (BDF) Brain Injured and families European Federation (BIF) çavaria, Belgium Center for Gender Rights and Equality DIOTIMA Center for Reproductive Rights Certi Diritti, Italy Circolo di Cultura Omosessuale " Mario Mieli", Italy Civil Rights Defenders COC Nederland Cologne Counselling - Germany Confederación Sindical de Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) Dachverband Lesben und Alter e.V. - Germany Danish Family Planning Association Deutscher Behindertenrat (DBR) Disabled Peoples' International European Region (DPI Europe) Doctors of the World Spain EDGE, Italy EMAIZE Sexologia Zentroa - Centro Sexológico End FGM EU Epen, El Parto es Nuestro EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community (EL*C) European Blind Union (EBU) European Disability Forum European Dyslexia Association European Federation of Hard of Hearing People European Network Against Racism (ENAR) European Roma Grassroots Organisations Network (ERGO Network) European Sex Workers' Rights Alliance (ESWA) European Women’s Lobby Famiglie Arcobaleno APS, Italy Federación de Mujeres Progresistas Fédération Laïque de Centres de Planning Familial (FLCPF) Foundation for Women and Family Planning (FEDERA) French Family Planning / le Planning Familial Fundación Aspacia GAMS Belgium (Groupe pour l’Abolition des Mutilations Sexuelles féminines) Gaynet - Formazione e Comunicazione sui temi Lgbti, Italy GenderLens, Italy General Commission for Justice and Peace of Spain GLAS Foundation, Bulgaria Haurralde Fundazioa  HelpAge International HelpAge International Spain Human Rights Watch IGLYO ILGA-Europe Iniciatíva Inakosť, Slovakia International Commission of Jurists International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN) International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) International Federation of Persons with Physical Disabilities (FIMITIC) International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network (IPPF EN) IntersexEsiste, Italy Irish Family Planning Association Jovesólides Kif Kif vzw KISA Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation La Coordinadora de Organizaciones para el Desarrollo (Spain) La Strada International Labrisz Lesbian Association - Hungary LesbenRing e.V. - Germany Lesbian Magazine and Program Organizing Association - Hungary Lesbian Organisation Rijeka – LORI – Croatia LesWorking - Spain LGBT komiteen - The LGBT Committee, Denmark Light for the World LSVD, the Lesbian and Gay Federation, Germany Malta Federation of Organisations Persons with Disability (MFOPD) Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement (MGRM) medicusmundi Mujeres Jóvenes de la Región de Murcia: 8 de marzo (MUJOMUR) Mujeres Supervivientes de Sevilla NET.Collect - Germany Nőkért Egyesület / Association for Women, Hungary  Nothern Ireland Council for Racial Equality (NICRE) OII Europe Older Women’s Network PA.SY.D.Y. Pensioners Union (Cyprus) Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) Polish Women's Strike Possibile LGBTI+, Italy PRISME – Fédération wallonne LGBTQIA+, Belgium pro familia Bundesverband Quaker Council for European Affairs Queer Base - Welcome & Support for LGBTIQ Refugees - Austria Queer Sisterhood Cluj - Romania Quore, Italy Rainbow Families Croatia Red de Mujeres Latinoamericanas y del Caribe – España Rete Genitori Rainbow, Italy RFSL, Sweden Rutgers Save the Children SB Overseas Sdružení pro integraci a migraci (SIMI) / Association for Integration and Migration SEDRA-Federación Planificación Familiar Sensoa Society for Education on Contraception and Sexuality - SECS SolidarityNow Stichting LOS, Netherlands Terre des Femmes TGEU – Transgender Europe Toutes des Femmes -France Turun Valkonauha ry, Finland Women Against Violence Europe - WAVE Network Zavod Moja mavrica – Slovenia Zavod Transfeministična Iniciativa TransAkcija - Slovenia   *Throughout the text, “equality and non-discrimination” is to be understood as encompassing equality and non-discrimination in the enjoyment of the full range of human rights, including all civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.   Illustration by Ivonne Navarro

On 24 January, as final negotiations on the EU Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence are taking place, IPPF EN and 11 other NGOs called on negotiators to take effective action and ensure that a robust Directive is urgently adopted. An open letter to negotiators in the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Member States, the European Parliament and the European Commission ahead of the final negotiations of this mandate on the Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence (COM (2022) 105 final, 8 March 2022) We are writing as concerned organisations[1] that advocate for human rights, gender equality, and the right for all to live free from violence. As we have entered the final weeks of European Union institutions’ ability to negotiate legislative files before the next European elections, we call on European governments to level up and take effective action to combat violence against women and domestic violence by urgently adopting a robust Directive. We welcome this proposed Directive, as it provides much needed comprehensive responses, incorporating prevention, protection, support for victims and prosecution for a range of criminal offences which constitute violence against women and domestic violence. The adoption of this Directive is, however, endangered due to several Member States’ failure to agree to strengthen laws and policies at the EU level and endorse crucial measures supported by the European Commission and the European Parliament, as well as by diverse civil society organisations across Europe. If agreement is not reached in the next weeks, there are serious risks of this proposal being further weakened or not adopted at all under the next mandate of the European Parliament. This would leave women and other people affected across the EU without adequate protection from gender-based and domestic violence. We urge national governments to transform lip service to ending violence against women into concrete and effective action against this scourge that affects millions in the EU, including by ensuring that rape based on lack of consent is a criminal offence across the EU. We have been dismayed to see Member States propose rejecting the unprecedented opportunity to criminalise rape in this Directive. It is utterly unacceptable that some Member States are stubbornly unresponsive to the need to combat rape across the EU, hiding behind restrictive legal interpretations on EU competences. Sexual violence against women is endemic across the EU, with widespread impunity. Consent-based definitions have proven to guarantee greater protection and access to justice for women and other victims of rape, including increased reporting and prosecution rates. We urge governments to act in accordance with their international and regional human rights obligations, particularly under the Istanbul Convention, and agree on the most robust Directive possible to prevent, prosecute and redress violence against women. Therefore, as organisations closely engaged on the issues at hand, we call on Member States to ensure that the Directive criminalises rape with a consent-based definition, as well as female and intersex genital mutilation, forced sterilisation, forced marriage, and sexual harassment in the workplace. It should combat violence on grounds of sex and gender, and address intersectional discrimination, with specific attention paid to LBTIQ+ women, women sex workers, and women who are undocumented migrants or have an insecure or dependent residence status. We call for strengthened protection and access to justice for victims, including access to compensation and safe reporting mechanisms through the establishment of strict firewalls between immigration and other authorities to ensure survivors are not deterred from reporting violence due to their residency status. The Directive should further guarantee comprehensive support to victims and access to both general and specialist support services, including the clinical management of rape and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care for victims of sexual violence, as well as support for child victims. We also call for the adoption of widespread and effective preventive measures, including a clear obligation to provide comprehensive sexuality education. For more detailed recommendations, we refer to our joint position published in 2023. There are times when political decisions can make a profound difference to millions of people’s lives. This is one of them. Member States have an opportunity to enact a Directive that can be truly transformative. We call on you to show courage and leadership and grab this opportunity. Sincerely, International Planned Parenthood Federation – European Network (IPPF EN) Amnesty International Center for Reproductive Rights End FGM European Network EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community (EL*C) European Sex Workers Rights Alliance (ESWA) Human Rights Watch La Strada International, European NGO Platform Against Trafficking in Human Beings  Organisation Intersex International Europe (OII Europe) Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) The European region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA-Europe)   Transgender Europe (TGEU) [1] Our organisations work on a diverse range of women’s rights issues. In the drafting of this document, we have been led by the expertise of women’s rights organisations and women human rights defenders from communities most impacted by the specific forms of violence described in each section. Our commitment to the text represents our coming together as a collective with shared values, even though not every organisation has its own policy or programme of work dedicated to each issue. We centre and affirm the expertise of women human rights defenders in all their diversity, and encourage the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the Council of the EU to do the same.

One year ago, on the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women, IPPF EN welcomed the EU’s recent proposal to introduce its first ever binding legislation on combating violence against women and domestic violence. We urged the EU institutions to seize this unique opportunity to help ensure a safer EU in which everyone could thrive, free from the harm and fear of gender-based violence. This year, as negotiations on this key file continue, we thank the European Parliament for its work to support and strengthen the draft legislation, and especially welcome its determination to hold firm on maintaining the criminalisation of rape with a consent-based definition across the EU. Consent-based laws are an essential measure to ensure greater access to justice for victims of sexual violence, and too many European countries still have outdated legislation with patriarchal definitions that require force or threats to have taken place. Sadly, Member States’ contribution so far has been to try water down this landmark EU proposal and to drag their feet over vital measures designed to protect and further gender equality. It is unacceptable for the EU Council to place politics and technicalities ahead of people’s lives, when far too many of us are disproportionately affected by violence on the basis of our gender alone, and a shocking third of women in the EU have experienced physical and/or sexual violence since the age of 15. This 25 November, as the EU institutions seek to finalise talks on the future law, we urge national governments to put people first and back a strong and progressive bill that will truly underpin efforts to combat GBV in Europe, including by ensuring that rape becomes a criminal offence with a consent-based definition across the entire EU.     Among the many other vital measures that must feature in this future EU legislation, IPPF EN applauds MEPs’ support for ensuring that victims of sexual violence have access to essential sexual and reproductive healthcare, including abortion care. The EU Council has inexcusably so far failed to guarantee medical care for victims, thereby exposing people to further harm, particularly in restrictive contexts where women face denial of care. Comprehensive sexuality and relationship education is a vital prevention measure because when we equip all young people with crucial knowledge and skills to navigate issues like consent and gender norms, we empower them to build healthy and respectful relationships, and tackle the root causes of GBV. MEPs have backed strong language on sexuality education as a tool for prevention, and we count on negotiators to ensure that robust wording is adopted in the future EU law. It is also crucial that the EU legislation take an intersectional approach and recognise that some groups - such as LGBTIQ people, sex workers and women fleeing conflict - face increased risks or have specific needs. *** Read more about how the EU bill is a crucial tool to keep people safe from harm.

Join us on Instagram on December 7 at 10.30am CET, to discuss how to achieve #AWorldWhere we are all free from gender-based violence together with Sonali Silva, SRHR activist and co-chair at SheDecides, Josephine Odhiambo, Program Lead at Youth Changers Kenya, and Esme Stuart, Programme Manager – Human Rights, Gender and Youth at the European Commission, DG INTPA. During this event, our guests will share their reflections on the challenges we face in combating gender-based violence globally and the solutions we have at our disposal to ensure we all live in a safer world. Violence against women is endemic in every country and culture with 1 in 3 women across the globe expected to experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. We know this number is higher in some places, affecting 2 in 3 women. We have a shared responsibility to help create more gender equal societies in which everyone is safe from harm and treated with dignity. We will also discuss how sexual and reproductive health and rights can be part of the solutions that we know are effective to prevent, protect and support survivors. What can you expect? We will be talking about the benefits of directly funding grassroot feminist organisations and movements that work to end gender-based violence and how our communities can change for the better if we work together to redesign systems so that they protect everyone. We will also be speaking about the role of the European Union in fighting gender-based violence globally. Join our Instagram Live and follow @C2030Europe for updates! Add this to your calendar. The Instagram Live is organised under the umbrella of the #AWorldWhere campaign aiming to drive Europe’s global commitments on sexual and reproductive health and rights, to meet Sustainable Development Goals targets, advance gender equality and strengthen health systems. #AWorldWhere is a Countdown 2030 Europe initiative driven by 15 leading European non-governmental organisations advocating for sexual and reproductive freedom worldwide. Illustration: Jessica Whitney Crowe

IPPF EN strongly welcomes the result of Poland’s parliamentary elections, held on 15 October, in which opposition parties won a greater number of seats than the ultra-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party. Record turnout saw over 73% of women and 69% of young people cast their ballot, up 12% and 22% respectively compared to Poland’s last parliamentary elections in 2019. Queues at polling booths meant some people waited in line until 3am to vote. This defeat for PiS after eight years in government is a direct result of the 2020 Women’s Strike protests, when hundreds of thousands of Polish people expressed their outrage at the imposition of a near-total abortion ban, fatally weakening support for PiS’ cruel and anti-democratic regime. Ahead of the elections, Donald Tusk, leader of the Civic Platform opposition party, pledged to legalise abortion care within the first 100 days of government, if elected. “The high turnout is all the more remarkable given PiS’s ever-increasing control of the media, most of the courts, the police and the military,” said IPPF EN’s Irene Donadio. “The strength of feeling among women and young people in particular is crystal clear. Tusk now has a clear popular mandate to take action on abortion care, and we look forward to seeing the opposition deliver on its promises to restore women’s reproductive rights,” added Donadio. The election result also confirms the strong commitment of the majority of Polish people to key European values such as democracy and the rule of law. It is extremely positive see Poland realign with the European Union and we look forward to seeing it take its place as a constructive partner alongside other European countries. “Poland’s change of course sends a much-needed, hopeful signal to all of Europe, and especially to citizens in Central Europe, in these turbulent times,” said Donadio.   *** Media contacts: [email protected] Irene Donadio: +32 (0) 491 719 390 *** Illustration: Izabela Markova, The Greats