“This is what happens when people across Europe unite for justice. We turned pain into action, fear into courage, and silence into 1.2 million voices demanding reproductive rights.”
Nika Kovač, campaign coordinator, My Voice, My Choice
Twenty million women in Europe do not have access to safe and accessible abortion. In Poland, women have died in hospitals because doctors refused to provide abortion care under restrictive laws. In Malta, women face prison sentences for having an abortion. The right to choose is not a fringe issue — it is a widely supported and deeply rooted European value. “This initiative is a declaration that enough is enough, that the EU must act,” said Nika Kovač, campaign coordinator of My Voice, My Choice. “No woman in Europe should fear death in a hospital bed or prosecution for making decisions about her own body. We are here to say: reproductive rights are human rights.” With over 1.2 million signatures and national thresholds reached in 19 EU countries, the campaign is a defining moment in the fight for reproductive freedom across Europe.
The My Voice, My Choice campaign brought together over 300 NGOs and more than 2,000 volunteers, who collected signatures in the streets of cities, towns, and villages across all EU member states. From university campuses to rural markets, citizens mobilized in extraordinary ways. Alongside this grassroots effort, the campaign built a powerful digital presence — using platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Blusky to engage the public and build momentum. Altogether, the campaign reached more than 65 million people online, connecting with individuals across generations and borders. “People didn’t just click a button — they joined a movement,” said Veronika Povž, Director of Communications. “From people on the streets of Slovenia, grandmas in Germany, to students in Malta, we saw people standing up for each other, for dignity, and for the freedom to choose.”
The campaign also gained the support of all centre-left political groups in the European Parliament as well as individual support from different MEPs, the Vice President of the European Parliament Nicolae Ștefănuță, French senator Melanie Vogel, Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar, and Prime Minister Robert Golob.
At the heart of the My Voice, My Choice initiative is a bold and practical demand: the creation of a European financial mechanism that would support access to safe abortion care. The fund would help cover medical expenses, enabling women to receive care in EU countries where abortion is legal and accessible. This proposal transforms political values into tangible support, ensuring that no woman is left behind simply because of where she lives and her financial means.“We’re not just fighting for a change of system — we’re fighting for real help,” said Alice Coffin, feminist activist and journalist. “This fund would mean that a woman in Malta, Poland, and from other places can get the care she needs, with dignity and without shame.” Another example is coming from Czechia: “Abortion care in Czechia is not accessible — it can cost up to 30% of the minimum wage, and over 40% of hospitals won’t provide care to people without permanent residence,” said Diana Soták Gregorová from the Czech Women’s Lobby. “My Voice, My Choice is a chance to make abortion accessible for everyone.” To this, Croatian singer Severina added: “We want every woman in the European Union to have the right to an accessible and free abortion. Nothing less and nothing more.”
With signatures now collected, the initiative enters a new phase: national verification of signatures in the next 3 months, official submission to the European Commission in September, followed by a meeting with the Commission, a hearing in the European Parliament and an official reply from the Commission that will tell if the EU will take action on the initiative. The process could lead to new EU legislation to support reproductive rights — a historic first. Nicolae Ștefănuță, Vice-President of the European Parliament, is committed to continuing his support for this vital cause. “The voices of the 1.2 million Europeans who signed this initiative must be heard,” he affirmed. Advocates across the continent are preparing to continue the fight at the institutional level, urging EU leaders to act on the will of more than a million citizens.
“Over 10,000 women died in Romania during the 1970s and 1980s due to the lack of access to safe abortion,” said Alice Spaccini from Italy. “It is a tragic history that Europe must learn from, and we must say it out loud: ‘Never again.’”
Irina Mateescu from Romania underlined, “Abortion access is not a marginal issue — it is urgent, it is real.”
Dominika Lasota from WSCHÓD, Poland, said, “My Voice, My Choice brought us together — it allowed us to imagine the unthinkable and then make it real, through the hands and clicks of over a million European citizens.”
“We are building a movement to defend our rights and our futures,” said Philine Dressler from #aufstehn, Austria, bringing concrete examples from her own country. “Over 26,000 Austrians stood up for access to safe abortion — this is more than a signature collection.”
Matteo Cadeddu from Italy said, “In a country where women are turned away from clinics with false information and intimidation when seeking an abortion, we are determined not to take a step backward.”
“Women and girls cannot live with dignity if they lack control over their bodies, sexuality, and reproduction,” said Carmen Radu from Romania. “The success of the My Voice, My Choice campaign gives us hope and shows the unity and solidarity needed for our common objective: free choice, free access, and respect for women's rights as human rights.”
Marija Trcol from Croatia, representing Pariter, added, “Together, we are sending a clear message: reproductive rights are not a privilege, but a fundamental human right that must be protected across all of Europe.”
“In Croatia, rights exist on paper — but women still face financial and systemic barriers,” said Karla Prudar from SOLIDARNA Foundation. “We’ve supported 41 women through direct aid. That’s why we stand behind this initiative — to make reproductive care truly accessible across the EU.”
“The campaign was long and exhausting, but incredibly inspiring,” said Lana Bobić, from Croatia, one of the initiators. “It showed how people — from students to retirees — self-organized, mobilized, and proved that a true, engaged community is ready to fight back against the growing forces of darkness.”
Kika Fumero, from Spain was one of the first people who signed the initiative, noted: “In Spain, the impact of My Voice, My Choice was powerful and deeply moving. Feminist collectives, students, healthcare professionals, artists, journalists, and small-town communities all rose together to defend our right to choose at a time when political backlash is threatening our freedoms more and more forcefully.”
“With the strictest abortion ban in Europe and one of the strictest in the world, Malta is still deeply conservative. Out of all countries, women in Malta need My Voice, My Choice the most. Every day, two women in Malta need an abortion. They are forced to do it illegally, travel abroad, or risk their lives,” noted Belle de Jong, who coordinated the campaign in Malta. “My Voice, My Voice is life-saving for those women. It helps women fund abortions in countries like Malta. Because let’s be honest: real change here will take time.”
One of the biggest supporters of the campaign was also the Greek TV personality Anastasia Giamali: “It has been an honor to be a part of this campaign, for my sisters and for me. For us to have the freedom and safety to decide what we do with our bodies.”
