en Dutch women's rights organisations: make the abortion pill available through the doctor

Today, 13 Dutch women's rights organisations are launching a civilian initiative to remove the abortion pill from the criminal code. The new Dutch Government, which is a coalition between Christian and Liberal Parties, recently abandoned a law proposal to make the abortion pill available through family doctors. The main obstacle to access safe abortion care in the Netherlands is the fact that abortion is still a criminal offence.

Sunday, November 19 th at 12.00 till 14.00 there will be a demonstration in front of the Stopera in Amsterdam.

Rebecca Gomperts, Women on Waves, "Especially now that many Dutch abortion clinics have been closed, it is urgent that the abortion pill will be removes from the Criminal Code"  

Anniek de Ruijter of the women's litigation fund Clara Wichmann: “We believe that everybody in the Netherlands has the right to accessible care concerning anticonception and pregnancy." 

The abortion pill is a very safe and effective way to end a pregnancy till 9. The World Health Organisation supports home use of the abortion pills and the prescription by doctors, nurses and midwives. Also the Dutch medical federation KNMG has stated that it is desirable that family doctors can prescribe the abortion pill on medial psychological and social grounds.

However the abortion pill is covered by the Dutch criminal code. Therefore a doctor can be criminally prosecuted when they prescribe this medicine outside a special licensed clinic. 

Accessible abortion care remains a problem as long as the abortion pill is in the Dutch criminal code:

  • Unwanted pregnant people now have to go to clinics with long waiting times.
  • This creates unnecessary logistic and emotional obstacles to an abortion.
  • Especially vulnerable women who cannot go to a clinic but have easy access to a family doctor are the victims of the restrictions.

 

For more information: The civilian initiative is available through platform DeGoedeZaak: www.degoedezaak.org/abortuspil.  

Het civil initiative is supported by: The Feminist Club Amsterdam, Women on Waves, Clara Wichmann Fonds, Women's March the Netherlands, WOMEN Inc. - Vrouwennetwerk, Rutgers - Kenniscentrum op het gebied van seksualiteit, Atria -Kennisinstituut voor Emancipatie en Vrouwengeschiedenis, Emancipator - voor mannen en emancipatie, WO=MEN - Dutch Gender Platform, Womens March Netherlands, World of Womens March, Friends of the Earth International, Platform Zijn, We Reclaim Our Pride.  

The demonstration is organised by The Feminist Club Amsterdam and will take place Sunday November 19 th from 12.00 till 14.00 in front of the Stopera in Amsterdam Several speakers will be present,