112 Amendments of Maria NOICHL related to 2020/2215(INI)
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Reaffirms that sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are grounded in human rights, are fundamental elements of human dignity, and remain crucial to achieving gender equality and promoting women’s rights; calls on the EU to guarantee universal respect for, and access to, SRHR as agreed in the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcome documents of the review conferences thereof acknowledging that they contribute to the achievement of all health-related SDGs;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 5
Citation 5
— having regard to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted on 25 September 2015 and entered into force on 1 January 2016, and in particular to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3, 5 and 16, and the related indicators,
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7
Citation 7
— having regard to CEDAWto the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms od Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and its General Recommendations No. 21 (1994), No. 24 (1999), No. 28 (2010), No. 33 (2015) and No. 35 (2017),
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls for the elimination of harmful practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM) and early and forced child marriage; is extremely concerned that more than 200 million girls and women worldwide have been forced to undergo FGM; calls for full access to physical and psychological care by interculturally sensitive and trained personnel; recalls FGM is internationally recognised as a human rights violation, estimates show there are 125 million victims worldwide and 500,000victims in the EU alone; calls for improving data collection and assisting the World Health Organisation (WHO), NGOs and other organisations active in the elimination of FGM; calls for far reaching efficient education and information campaigns for elimination of the FGM within and outside Europe; calls for full access to physical and psychological care by intercultural sensitive and trained personnel; urges all EU countries to ratify the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and reiterated calls to incorporate FGM prevention measures in all policy areas, especially in health, asylum, education, employment and in cooperation and human rights dialogues with third countries; urges to all EU countries to protect victims and end impunity by including a principle of extra-territoriality to make possible to prosecute FGM when it is committed abroad, as families often take their daughters to their country of origin to have them mutilated;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Condemns any violations of SRHR, including failures to provide access to comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), family planning services and maternal healthcare, maternal healthcare and safe and legal abortion services; calls for the realisation of Agenda 2030 and all relevant SDGs to health, education, and gender equality;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)
Citation 16 a (new)
- having regard to the report of the Council of Europe’s Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of 18 October 2017 on promoting the human rights of and eliminating discrimination against intersex people,
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 b (new)
Citation 16 b (new)
- having regard to the report of the Council of Europe’s Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of 22 April 2015 on discrimination against transgender people in Europe,
Amendment 45 #
4. Insists that CSE programmes are important as they provide age-appropriate information about puberty, the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and, childbirth and HIV&AIDS prevention and treatment; recalls the role of non-governmental organisations as service providers and advocates for SRHR; underlines that CSE programmes help prevent early pregnancy and marriage, which lead to girls dropping out of school; recalls the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown in the closing of schools and isolating women and girls, rising significantly abusive relationships, including increasing physical violence early pregnancy and marriage and limiting access to support and health services; calls for the EU to foster CSE, family planning services and maternal healthcare as an strategic axe in its support to healthcare and social systems in partner countries within the EU’s Global Response to COVID-19;
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls that safe and legal abortion care is anchored in women’s health and rights; warns about the worrying backlash on women’s rights over their bodies in both developing countries and the EU; recalls that, following data reported by the WHO, approximately 45% of all abortions worldwide were unsafe, almost all of these unsafe abortions took place in developing countries, around 7 million women are admitted to hospitals every year in developing countries as a result of unsafe abortion, and almost every abortion death and disability could be prevented through sexuality education, use of effective contraception, provision of safe, legal induced abortion, and timely care for complications; calls for removing barriers to accessing safe abortion, such as, restrictive laws, poor availability of services, high cost and stigma; recalls that every country analysed by the 2019 Contraception Atlas needs to do more to improve access to information and contraceptive supplies so that people have a choice over their reproductive lives; stresses the need for the full implementation of the Maputo Protocol, especially Article 14 and the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action;
Amendment 62 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for the Gender Action Plan III to give more prominence to its SRHR thematic policy area given the tremendous impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women and girls in developing countries, and address the limited access to SRHR of the most disadvantaged women, such as women with disabilities, indigenous and women belonging to minorities and women refugees; calls on the EU and the Member States to prepare “country-level implementation plans” prioritising SRHR, applying measurable indicators and monitoring mechanisms, and further requests EU Delegations to support civil society organisations and women’ movements asking for a legal safe and free abortion;
Amendment 73 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the EU to secure adequate and well-targeted funding for SRHR in its development cooperation policy and external action instruments, such as the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument; requests to include a gender-equality perspective in the EU and Member States’ humanitarian aid response, and a perspective on SRHR, as access to sexual and reproductive healthcare is a basic need for people in humanitarian settings;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 38 a (new)
Citation 38 a (new)
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 38 b (new)
Citation 38 b (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 26 November 2020 on abortion rights in Poland,
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 38 c (new)
Citation 38 c (new)
- having regard to IPPF EN/BZgA Report on Sexuality Education in Europe and Central Asia,
Amendment 80 #
- having regard to the IPPF EN partner survey Abortion legislation and its implementation in Europe and Central Asia,
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 38 e (new)
Citation 38 e (new)
- having regard to European Parliament Study The gendered impact of the COVID-19 crisis and post-crisis,
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 38 f (new)
Citation 38 f (new)
- having regard to the report of the European Institute for Gender Equality of 22 November 2019 on Beijing +25 – The 5th Review of the Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action in the EU Member States,
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 38 g (new)
Citation 38 g (new)
- having regard to the Commission communication of 5 March 2020 entitled ‘A Union of Equality: Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025’ (COM(2020)0152),
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 38 h (new)
Citation 38 h (new)
- having regard to the report by UN Women entitled ‘The Impact of COVID- 19 on Women’, published on 9 April 2020,
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 38 i (new)
Citation 38 i (new)
- having regard to the report by UN entitled “COVID-19 and Human Rights: We are all in this together”, published in April 2020,
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 38 j (new)
Citation 38 j (new)
- having regard to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) report entitled ‘Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Family Planning and Ending Gender- based Violence, Female Genital Mutilation and Child Marriage’, published on 27 April 2020,
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 38 k (new)
Citation 38 k (new)
- having regard to the statement by UNFPA entitled ‘Millions more cases of violence, child marriage, female genital mutilation, unintended pregnancy expected due to the COVID 19 pandemic’, published on 28 April 2020,
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 38 l (new)
Citation 38 l (new)
- having regard to the European Women’s Lobby policy brief entitled ‘Women must not pay the price for COVID-19!’,
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 38 m (new)
Citation 38 m (new)
- having regard to the study by Professor Sabine Oertelt-Prigione entitled ‘The impact of sex and gender in the COVID-19 pandemic’, published on 27 May 2020,
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 38 n (new)
Citation 38 n (new)
- having regard WHO`s Safe abortion: technical and policy guidance for health systems,
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 38 o (new)
Citation 38 o (new)
- having regard to WHO`s Global Strategy to Accelerate the Elimination of Cervical Cancer,
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 38 p (new)
Citation 38 p (new)
- having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 13 November 2020 on the impact of COVID-19 measures on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights,
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 38 q (new)
Citation 38 q (new)
- having regard to the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network research andreport entitled “Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights during the COVID-19 pandemic”, published on 22nd April 2020,
Amendment 94 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Reiterates its call on both parties of the new agreement between the EU and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP), the Post- Cotonou Agreement, as well as on both parties of the EU-Africa Strategy and the EU and Latin American Countries Stratesgic Partnership, to commit to the promotion, protection and fulfilment of SRHR free from discrimination, coercion and violence and to the full implementation of the International Conference on Population and Development’s Programme of Action;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is a state of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being in relation to all aspects of sexuality and reproduction, not merely the absence of dysfunction, infirmity or mortality, and whereas all individuals have a right to make decisions governing their bodies8 , free from discrimination, coercion and violence, and to access SRH services that support that right and give a positive approach to sexuality and reproduction, as sexuality is an integral part of human existence; _________________ 8 Guttmacher-Lancet Commission, Executive Summary on sexual and reproductive health and rights, The Lancet, London, 2018, https://www.guttmacher.org/guttmacher- lancet-commission/accelerate-progress- executive-summary
Amendment 104 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Recalls that asylum seekers and refugees are too often victims of human trafficking, sexual violence and forced prostitution; insists that access to SRHR for these populations is critical for their survival.
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are based on the rights of all individuals to have their bodily integrity, privacy and personal autonomy respected; definhave their sexual orientation and gender identity fully respected; decide whether, with whom and when to be sexually active; have safe sexual experiences, decide whether, when and who to marry and when, whether and by what means to have a child or children; have access to the information and support necessary to achieve all of the above9 ; _________________ 9 Guttmacher-Lancet Commission, Executive Summary on sexual and reproductive health and rights, The Lancet, London, 2018, https://www.guttmacher.org/guttmacher- lancet-commission/accelerate-progress- executive-summary and how many children; have access over their lifetime to the information, resources, services and support necessary to achieve all of the above free from discrimination, coercion, exploitation and violence;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are based on the rights of all individuals to have their bodily integrity and personal autonomy respected; definhave their sexual orientation and gender identity fully respected; decide whether, with whom and when to be sexually active; decide whether, when and who to marry and when, whether and by what means to have a child or children; have access to the information and support necessary to achieve all of the above9 ; _________________ 9 Guttmacher-Lancet Commission, Executive Summary on sexual and reproductive health and rights, The Lancet, London, 2018, https://www.guttmacher.org/guttmacher- lancet-commission/accelerate-progress- executive-summary
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas sexual and reproductive rights (SRR) are recognisprotected as human rights in international and European human rights law10 ; _________________ 10Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights in Europe, Council of Europe, Strasbourg, 2017, https://www.coe.int/en/web/commissioner/ women-s-sexual-and-reproductive-rights- in-europe. such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and the European Convention on Human Rights,and constitute an essential element of comprehensive healthcare provision; whereas the realisation of SRHR is an essential element of human dignity and intrinsically linked to the achievement of gender equality and combatting gender-based violence;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas gender-based violence is widespread and has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic; whereas an estimated 25 percent of women experience some form of gender based violence in their lifetimes and countless women experience sexual assault and harassment in the context of intimate partnerships and public life due to entrenched gender stereotypes and the resulting social norms;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas violations of SRHR constitute breaches of human rights, specifically the right to life, physical and mental integrity, equality, non- discrimination, health and education, education, dignity, privacy and freedom from inhumane and degrading treatment; whereas violations of women’s SRHR are a form of violence against women and girls; and hinder progress towards gender equality;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas although the EU has some of the highest SHRHR standards in the world, there are still challenges, a lack of access, gaps and inequalities and some Member States have implemented policies and programmes that uphold SRR, there are still challenges, a lack of access and affordability, gaps, disparities and inequalities in the realisation of SRHR, both across the EU and within Member States, based on age, sex, gender, race, ethnicity, class, religious affiliation or belief, marital status, socio-economic status, disability, HIV (or sexually transmitted infections, STIs) status, national or social origin, legal or migration status, language, sexual orientation or gender identity;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas SRHR challenges and obstacles include: a lack of access, denial of medical care based on personal beliefsuniversal access to high-quality and affordable SRHR services, a lack of comprehensive and evidence-based sexuality education, denial of access to information and education, a lack of available modern contraception methods, denial of medical care based on personal beliefs, legal restrictions and practical barriers in accessing abortion services, denial of abortion care, forced abortion, gender- based violence, gynaecological and obstetric violence, a lack of comprehensive sexuality education, denial of access to information/education, a lack of available contraception methods, limited access to medically assisted reproduction treatments, forced sterilisation, high rates of STIs and HIV, disparities in maternal mortalityforced sterilisation, intimidation, cruel and degrading treatment, disparities in maternal mortality rates, gaps in maternal mental health support, increasing caesarean section rates, a lack of access to treatment for cervical cancer, which causes the largely preventable deaths of over 25.000 European women per year, limited access to medically assisted reproduction and fertility treatments, high rates of STIs and HIV, especially in certain marginalised groups and/or regions, high adolescent pregnancy rates, harmful gender stereotypes and practices such as female genital mutilation, early, forced and child marriages and honour killings, outdated or ideologically driven legal provisions limiting SRHR;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas SRHR challenges and obstacles include: a lack of access, denial of medical care based on personal beliefs, gender-based violence, gynaecological and obstetric violence, a lack of comprehensive sexuality education, denial of access to information/education, a lack of available contraception methods, limited access to medically assisted reproduction treatments, forced sterilisation, including in the context of legal gender recognition, high rates of STIs and HIV, disparities in maternal mortality, high adolescent pregnancy rates, harmful gender stereotypes and practices such as female and intersex genital mutilation, early, forced and child marriages and honour killings; , honour killings and so-called “conversion therapy” practices, which can take the form of sexual violence such as “corrective rape” on lesbian and bisexual women and girls, as well as transgender persons; whereas the enjoyment of SRHR for LGBTI persons may be severely hindered due to the omission in sexual education curricula of the diversity of sexual orientation, gender identity, expression and sex characteristics;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
Recital F b (new)
F b. whereas in certain circumstances transgender men and non-binary persons may also undergo pregnancy and should, in such cases, benefit from measures for pregnancy and birth-related care without discrimination on the basis of their gender identity;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the unavailability of scientifically accurate informand evidence-based information and education violates the rights of individuals to make informed choices about their own SRHR; and undermines healthy approaches to sexuality, family planning and gender equality;
Amendment 173 #
H. whereas the essential package of SRH measuresSRH services are essential healthcare services that should be available to all and they includes: comprehensive sexuality education; information, confidential and unbiased counselling and services for sexual and reproductive health and well-being; counselling and access to a wide range of modern contraceptives; antenatal, childbirth and postnatal care; midwifery; obstetric and newborn care; safe and legal abortion services and care and post- abortion care including treatment of complications of unsafe abortion; the prevention and treatment of HIV and other STIs; services aimed at detecting, preventing and treating sexual and gender- based violence; prevention, detection and treatment for reproductive cancers; and fertility services, especially cervical cancer; fertility care and fertility treatment;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas comprehensive sexuality education facilitates informed reproresponsible sexual behaviour, including reduced risk-taking, and increased use of condoms and other forms of contraception ; whereas according to the UNESCO International technical guidance on sexuality education, curriculum-based programmes on comprehensive sexuality educative choices; on (CSE) enables children and young people to develop accurate knowledge, attitudes and skills, including respect for human rights, gender equality, consent and diversity that contribute to safe, healthy, and respectful relations; whereas such education empowers children and young people as it provides with evidence and age-appropriate information on sexuality, addressing sexual and reproductive health issues, including, but not limited to: sexual and reproductive anatomy and physiology; consent, puberty and menstruation; reproduction, modern contraception, pregnancy and childbirth; STIs, including HIV and AIDS; andharmful practices such as child early and forced marriage (CEFM) and femalegenital mutilation (FGM); whereas still most adolescents do not have access to CSE ; whereas age-appropriate CSE, in this regard, is key to building children’s and young peoples’ skills to form healthy, equal, nurturing and safe relationships, notably by addressing gender norms, gender equality, power dynamics in relationships, consent, respect for one own’s and others’ boundaries;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
I a. whereas SRH includes menstrual hygiene and sanitation as well as systemic and socio-economic factors of stigmatisation,discrimination linked to menstruation; whereas period poverty, which refers to the limited access to sanitary products, affects about 1 in 10 women in Europe, and is exacerbated by a gender-biased taxation on menstrual hygiene products in the EU; whereas shame, untreated menstrual pain and discriminatory traditions lead to school drop outs and lower attendance rates of girls at school and women at work; whereas existing negative attitudes and myths surrounding menstruation influence reproductive health decisions; whereas understanding the links between menstrual hygiene and maternal morbidity, mortality and infertility, STI/HIV and cervical cancer can support early detection and safe lives;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I b (new)
Recital I b (new)
I b. whereas modern contraception plays a key role in achieving gender equality and preventing unintended pregnancies as well as realising the right of individuals to make decisions about their family choices by proactively and responsibly planning the number, timing and spacing of their children; whereas certain methods of modern contraception also reduce incidence of HIV/STIs, whereas access to it is still hindered by practical, financial, social and cultural barriers, including myths surrounding contraception, outdated attitudes towards female sexuality and contraception, as well as a stereotypical perception of women being the only ones responsible for contraception;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas some Member States still have highly restrictive laws prohibiting abortion except in strictly defined circumstances, forcing women to seek clandestine abortions, to travel to other countries or to carry their pregnancy to term against their will, which is a violation of human rights and a form of gender- based violence; affecting women’s and girls’ rights to life, physical and mental integrity, equality, non-discrimination, health, and freedom from inhuman and degrading treatment;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas even when abortion is legally available, there are often barriers to accessing it; range of legal, quasi-legal and informal barriers to accessing it, including: limited time periods and grounds on which to access abortion, medically unwarranted waiting periods, lack of trained and willing healthcare professionals and denial of medical care based on personalbeliefs, biased and mandatory counselling, deliberate misinformation or third party authorization, medically unnecessary tests, distress requirements, costs and lack of reimbursement;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L
Recital L
L. whereas no woman should die in childbirth; and access to evidence-based, quality and affordable maternity care is a human right and must be ensured without any discrimination in all healthcare settings;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L
Recital L
L. whereas no woman should die in childbirth and evidence-based maternity, pregnancy and birth-related care is a human right;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)
Recital L a (new)
L a. whereas infertility and subfertility are affecting one in six people in Europe, are a global public health issue and there is a need to reduce inequalities in access to fertility information and treatments, and prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of sex, gender, sexual orientation, health or marital status;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M
Recital M
M. whereas SRHR issues are often instrumentalised by opponents of reproductive rights who appeal to national interests in order to achieve demographic objectives, thus contributing to the erosion of democracy and personal freedomopponents of sexual and reproductive rights often instrumentalise issues such as the national interest or demographic change in order to undermine SRHR, thus contributing to the erosion of personal freedoms and democracy; whereas all policies addressing the demographic change must be rights-based, people-centered, tailor- made and evidence-based, and must uphold sexual and reproductive rights;
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M a (new)
Recital M a (new)
M a. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that there is a need to strengthen the resilience of health systems to such crises, with a specific focus on ensuring that SRH services continue to be fully available, that Member States do not instrumentalize the crisis to deprioritize or purposefully undermine access to these services;
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N
Recital N
N. whereas progress has been made in the areas of women’s rights and SRHR, but opponents of reproductive rights have nonetheless had an influence on national law and policyopponents of sexual and reproductive rights and women’s autonomy have had a significant influence on national law and policy with retrogressive initiatives taken in several Member States, seeking to undermine SRHR, as noted by the Parliament in its resolutions on experiencing backlash in women’s rights and gender equality in the EU and Abortion Rights in Poland, and by the European Institute for Gender Equality in its report of 22 November 2019 on Beijing +25 – The 5th Review of the Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action in the EU Member States; whereas these initiatives and backsliding obstruct the realisation of people’s rights, countries’ development and undermines European values, fundamental rights;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N a (new)
Recital N a (new)
N a. whereas the current COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the population’s health as a whole, women are not only affected by the direct health threat but also adversely through the reallocation of resources and priorities, including SRH services and this reversion of resources may result in increased rates of unintended pregnancies, higher maternal mortality and morbidity rates, as well as a spike in sexually transmitted disease and HIV;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N b (new)
Recital N b (new)
N b. whereas numerous reports show that, during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, SRHR services were limited and/or revoked, and there is a disruption in access to essential medical services such as contraception and abortion care, HIV and STI testingand reproductive cancer screenings, and respectful maternal healthcare;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N c (new)
Recital N c (new)
N c. whereas there is a persisting effort to instrumentalize the COVID-19 health crisis as a pretext to adopt further restrictive measures in SRHR and that has a broad and long-term negative effect on the exercise of the fundamental right to health, gender equality andfight against discrimination and gender-based violence and is putting the well-being, health and lives of women and girls at risk;
Amendment 254 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls upon the EU, its bodies and agencies to support and promote access to SRHR services and calls upon the Member States to ensure access to a full range of SRHR, and to remove all barriers impeding full accessIn accordance with the principle of subsidiarity and in line with national competences, calls upon the Member States to safeguard the right of all persons to make their own informed choices with regard to SRHR;
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity and in line with national competences, calls upon the Member States to safeguard the right of all persons to make their own informed choices with regard to SRHRCalls upon the EU, its bodies and agencies to support and promote full access to SRHR services by creating a culture of equality, respect for personal autonomy, accessibility, respect, informed choice and consent, non-discrimination and non-violence andcalls upon the Member States to ensure access to a full range of SRHR, and to remove all legal, policy, financial and other barriers impeding full access to SRHR for all persons, without discrimination on any ground;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Reaffirms that SRHR are key for gender equality, the elimination of gender-based violence, economic growth and development, child protection, elimination of human trafficking and poverty;
Amendment 274 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls upon the Member States to address the persisting challenges in accessing or exercising SRHR and ensure that no persin Europe and globally and to ensure that all persons have access to high-quality and affordable SRH services and that no one is left behind by being unable to exercise their right to health; Stresses that equal access to SRHR must be ensured for all persons, regardless of age, sex, gender, race, ethnicity, class, caste, religious affiliation and beliefs, marital status, socio- economic status, disability, HIV (or STI) status, national and social origin, legal and migration status, language, sexual orientation or gender identity;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Acknowledges the importance of public information on SRHR; Recalls that all policies relating to SRHR should be founded on reliable and objective evidence from organisations such as WHO, other UN agencies and the Council of Europe;
Amendment 287 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Reaffirms the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights call on its member states11 to guarantee sufficient budgetary provision for SRHR and ensure the availability of adequate human resources across all levels of the health system, in both urban and rural areas; identify and address legal, policy and financial barriers that impede access to good quality SRH care and integrate SRHR services into existing public health insurance, subsidisation or reimbursement schemes in order to achieve Universal Health Coverage; _________________ 11Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights in Europe, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Council of Europe, 2017, https://www.coe.int/en/web/commissioner/ women-s-sexual-and-reproductive-rights- in-europe
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Stresses the negative effects of the so-called “tampon tax” on gender equality; Calls upon the Member States to eliminate the so-called “tampon tax” by applying a 0% VAT rate on menstrual hygiene products and ensuring that this tax cut is effectively benefitting the consumers;
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Recalls the views endorsed by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which recommended trans- specific healthcare such as hormonal treatment and surgery to be accessible and reimbursed by public health insurance schemes;1a _________________ 1aCDDH Report on the implementation of Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)5 of the Committee of Ministers to Member States on measures to combat discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity, ¶130, accessible at https://search.coe.int/cm/Pages/result_det ails.aspx?ObjectId=09000016809f9ba0
Amendment 292 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Stresses that in the time of the COVID-19 induced health crisis, it is essential that universalaccess to SRHR is guaranteed, in line with international human rights standards;
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls upon the Member States to establish effective strategies and monitoring programmes that guarantee enjoyment and universal access to a full range of SRHR serviceshigh-quality and affordable SRHR services; regardless of financial, practical and social barriers, and free of discrimination, with special consideration of marginalised groups of women (including but not limited to women from ethnic, racial and religious minorities, migrant women, Roma women, women from ruralareas, women with disabilities, women without health insurance, LGBTI persons, victims of sexual and gender- based violence etc.);
Amendment 311 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Urges the Member States to collect reliable, disaggregated and robust statistics on all SRHR services so as to ensure that all women are getting the same access to high-quality services and to detect and address possible differences in outcomes;
Amendment 312 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Amendment 314 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recalls that all medical interventions related to SRHR must be undertaken with fully informed consent; Calls on the Member States to combat gynaecological and obstetrical violence by reinforcing procedures that guarantee respect for free and prior informed consent and protection from inhumane and degrading treatment in healthcare settings, including through training of medical professionals; calls on the European Commission to tackle this specific form of gender-based violence in its activities;
Amendment 315 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recalls that all medical interventions related to SRHR must be undertaken with prior, personal and fully informed consent;
Amendment 319 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Reaffirms its call on Member States to adopt legislation ensuring that intersex persons are not subjected to non- vital medical or surgical treatment during infancy or childhood, and that their right to bodily integrity, autonomy, self- determination and informed consent is fully respected;
Amendment 322 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Amendment 334 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Urges the Member States to ensure universal access to scientifically accurate, evidence-based, age-appropriate, non- judgemental and comprehensive sexuality education and information for all primary and secondary school children in line with WHO standard, as well as children out of school, in line with WHO standards for Sexuality Education and its Action Plan on Sexual and Reproductive Health; without discrimination on any ground; Urges the Member States to ensure comprehensive education about menstruation and its links to sexuality and fertility; Calls upon the Member States to establish well-developed, well- funded and free of charge youth-friendly services;
Amendment 341 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Recalls that the imparting of information should reflect the diversity of sexual orientations, gender identities, expressions and sex characteristics, so as to counter misinformation based on stereotypes or biases; calls on Member States to develop age-appropriate sexual education curricula inclusive of the former;
Amendment 346 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls upon the Member States to reject and combat the spread of discriminatory and unsafe misinformation on SRHR, as it endangers all persons, especially women, LGBTI persons and young people; Recalls that the imparting of information should reflect the diversity of sexual orientations, gender identities, expressions and sex characteristics, so as to counter misinformation based on stereotypes or biases; Calls on Member States to develop age-appropriate sexual education curricula inclusive of the former;
Amendment 358 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls upon the Member States to ensure access to contraceptive methods, thereby safeguarding the fundamental right to healthuniversal access to high-quality and affordable modern contraceptive methods, contraceptive supplies, family planning counselling and the provision of online information on contraception for all, thereby safeguarding the fundamental right to health; and to address all barriers impeding access to contraception such as financial and social barriers;
Amendment 367 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls upon the Member States to ensure that contraception is covered under national reimbursement schemes and healthcare policies andinsurance, and at least covered by reimbursement and subsidisation schemes and healthcare policies and ensure that these schemes are evidence- and research- based, taking into account efficiency and success rates in the long term; to recognise that this coverage should be extended to all people of reproductive age;
Amendment 370 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Recalls that Member States and public authorities have a responsibility to provide evidence-based, accurate information about contraception and establish awareness-raising programmes and strategies to tackle and dispel barriers, myths, stigma and misconceptions;
Amendment 399 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Urges the Member States to regulmove and combate obstacles to legal abortion and recalls that they have a responsibility to ensure that women have access to the rights affordconferred to them by law;
Amendment 407 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Underlines that all the rights afforded to women by law regarding abortion care must apply to all persons undergoing pregnancy, including transgender and non-binary persons, without discrimination on grounds of their gender identity or gender expression and in line with international human rights practices;
Amendment 410 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading d
Subheading d
Maternity, pregnancy and birth-related care for all
Amendment 412 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls upon the Member States to adopt measures to ensure that all women have access to affordable, evidence-based maternity careaccess without discrimination to high-quality, affordable, evidence-based and respectful maternity care for all; including midwifery, antenatal, childbirth and postnatal care, and maternal mental health support in accordance with current WHO standards and evidence; and consequently, reform laws, policies and practices that exclude certain groups of women from access to maternity care, including by removing legal and policy restrictions that apply on grounds of nationality, ethnicity or migration status;
Amendment 414 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls upon the Member States to adopt measures to ensure that all women and pregnant persons have access to affordable, evidence-based maternity, pregnancy and birth-related care;
Amendment 426 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls upon the Member States to strongly condemn and combat physical and verbal abuse, including gynaecological and obstetric violence, whichinformal payments and bribes in antenatal, childbirth and postnatal care, which violate women’s human rights and may constitute forms of gender- based violence;
Amendment 428 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 16 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Access to fertility treatments
Amendment 429 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 – indent 1 (new)
Paragraph 16 – indent 1 (new)
- Provision of SRHR services during the COVID-19 pandemic and in all other crisis related circumstances
Amendment 431 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Calls upon the Member States to ensure that maternity, pregnancy and birth-related care must be equally accessible to all persons undergoing pregnancy without discrimination of any kind, notably on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity;
Amendment 432 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Calls upon Member States to encourage and ensure that healthcare providers have training in women’s human rights and principles of free and informed consent and informed choice in antenatal, childbirth and postnatal care;
Amendment 437 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16b. Calls upon Member States to ensure that all persons of reproductive age have access to fertility treatments regardless of their marital status or sexual orientation;
Amendment 439 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 c (new)
Paragraph 16 c (new)
16c. Calls upon Member States to ensure fertility investigations and treatments to be state funded and reimbursed across Europe, irrespective of the person's income and place of residence;
Amendment 440 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 d (new)
Paragraph 16 d (new)
16d. Insists that SRH services are essential services; Calls upon Member States to ensure that the COVID-19 pandemic does not affect the right of all individuals to SRHR services and to ensure they are secured through the public health systems, and combat all efforts directed on using the pandemic as an pretext to further restrict SRHR;
Amendment 442 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 e (new)
Paragraph 16 e (new)
16e. Recognizes the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has on the supply and access to contraceptives and reiterates projections of UNFPA from April 2020 which states that some 47 million women in 114 low and middle-income countries are projected to be unable to use modern contraceptives if the lockdown or supply chain disruption continues for 6 months;
Amendment 443 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 f (new)
Paragraph 16 f (new)
Amendment 444 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 g (new)
Paragraph 16 g (new)
16g. Stresses that access to safe and legal abortion continues to be limited during the COVID-19 pandemic, with examples of efforts to fully ban it under the pretence of less priority service; Urges the Member States to additionally implement safe, free and adjusted access to abortion during the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, such as the abortion pill, and to recognize abortion care as urgent and medically necessary, thus also rejecting all limitation in accessing it;
Amendment 445 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 h (new)
Paragraph 16 h (new)
16h. Stresses the negative consequences for maternity healthcare, labour and birth care as health systems focus on tackling COVID-19 and emphasises that unacceptable changes are being made to the provision of pregnancy and birth care which are not based on scientific evidence, WHO guidelines or guidelines of relevant European professional organisations and are not proportional to the response required to the COVID-19 pandemic;
Amendment 446 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 i (new)
Paragraph 16 i (new)
16i. Urges the Member States to ensure adequate resources for quality maternity care and guarantee that policies relating to maternity healthcare during the COVID pandemic are based on evidence and facts, not fears, and respect women’s human rights;
Amendment 448 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 k (new)
Paragraph 16 k (new)
16k. Calls on the European Commission to address the impact of COVID-19 on access to SRHR in the EU in its COVID-19 response, including by supporting actions by Member States and SRHR civil society organisations to guarantee full access to SRHR services, including through the EU4Health Programme and the European Social Fund Plus;
Amendment 449 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 l (new)
Paragraph 16 l (new)
16l. Stresses that all above mentioned COVID-19 related notes and calls should apply for any other crisis related circumstances and calls upon Member States to ensure prioritization of SRHR services in all instances, without any discrimination;
Amendment 454 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls upon the Member States to exercise their competence in SRHR by striving to fully protect, respect and fulfil human rights, specifically the right to health, and implement a wide range of SRH services,in regards to SRHR, to guarantee a wide range of available, accessible, affordable, high-quality and non- discriminatory SRH services available for all without discrimination, to ensuringe that the principle of non- retrogression is respectedunder international human rights law is respected; condemns any attempt to limit access to SRHR through restrictive laws; strongly affirms that the denial of access to SRHR is a form of gender based violence;
Amendment 471 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls upon the Commissioner for Democracy and Demography to take an evidence and human-rights-based approach to tackling demographic challenges in the EU, ensuring that every EU resident can fully realise their SRHR, and to take special note and confront those who instrumentalise SRHR in order to undermine EU values and democracy;
Amendment 473 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls upon the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety to promote and protect SRHR and to include them in the next EU public health strategy; s a vital part of achieving the right to health, safety and gender equality, to monitor and promote the full implementation of SDG 3 including target 3.7 in the EU, using the UN global indicator framework; in partnership with Member States, to collect systematic, comparable, disaggregated data and conduct studies to better measure gender inequalities in health and unmet needs in access to SRH services in the EU with an intersectional perspective; to promote health information and education including on SRH; to support and harmonise national health systems and policies in order to reduce health inequalities within and between Member States; to include SRHR interventions in the EU4Health Programme, to support actions of Member States and SRHR civil society organisations in achieving full access to SRHR services through this Programme;
Amendment 479 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls upon the Commissioner for Equality to promote and protect SRHR and to include them in the next EU gender equality strategyimplementation of the EU Gender Equality strategy and the EU LGBTIQ Equality Strategy, to strongly condemn the backsliding in women’s rights and to develop concrete measures to counter it; to recognize the intrinsic links between realising SRHR and achieving gender equality and combating gender-based violence and to monitor and promote the full implementation of SDG 5 including target 5.6 in the EU; to successfully mainstream gender throughout all EU policies; to support the activities of SRHR civil society organisations;
Amendment 484 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls upon the Commissioner for Equality to promote and protect SRHR and to include them in the next EU gender equality simplementation of the EU gender equality strategy and the EU LGBTIQ Equality Strategy;
Amendment 490 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls upon the Commissioner for International Partnerships to uphold the European Consensus on Development and the SDGs, in particular targets 3.7,5.6 and 5.16, to ensure that SRHR remain a development priority in all EU external activities and relations, welcomes the strong language on SRHR in the new Gender Action Plan III, emphasises the need to prioritize the removal of all barriers in the access to SRHR services; calls upon the Commissioner for International Partnerships to strongly condemn the ‘global gag’ rule;
Amendment 493 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Calls upon the Commissioner for Promoting our European Way of Life to ensure that the new Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion and Belief be dedicated to a human-rights based approach, thus respecting sexual and reproductive health and rights and dedicated to jointly working on guaranteeing the right to health for all, in the EU and globally, without any discrimination;
Amendment 494 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Calls upon the Commissioner for Crisis Management to include a gender equality perspective in the EU and Member States ’humanitarian aid response, and a perspective on sexual and reproductive health and rights, as access to sexual and reproductive healthcare is a basic need for people in humanitarian settings;
Amendment 496 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Calls upon the Commission to strengthen its actions to counter the backlash against women’s rights; ongly condemn the backsliding in women’s rights and strengthen its actions to counter it; calls on the Commission and Member States to step up their support for women’s rights and SRHR organisations in the EU, which are key actors for gender-equal societies, and crucial providers of SRH services and information; and notably their financial support through the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme, the funding of which should be significantly increased as asked by the European Parliament;
Amendment 500 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Calls upon the Commission to strengthen its actions to counter the backlash against women’s rights and SRHR;
Amendment 501 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Calls upon the Commission to ensure that the provision of SRHR is not limited or revoked under the pretence of the COVID-19 pandemic and to recognize that SRHR are a part of the fundamental human rights and as such a priority during this health crisis and beyond; calls on the Commission to organise regular exchanges of best practices and mutual learning between Member States on guaranteeing access to SRHR, involving experts and civil society organisations;
Amendment 502 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)
Paragraph 22 b (new)
22b. Calls upon the Commission to implement gender budgeting throughout all the instruments of the MFF 2021- 2027, including the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values, the European Social Fund + and the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument;
Amendment 503 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 c (new)
Paragraph 22 c (new)
22c. Calls upon the Commission to take concrete steps in protecting SRHR, starting with the establishment of an EU Special Envoy on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Right and the addition of a designated chapter on the State of play of SRHR in the EU Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy;