European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual & Reproductive Rights (EPF) Rue Montoyer 23 1000 Brussels Belgium

09 September 2020 Dear President Zuzana Čaputová, dear President of the Slovak Parliament Boris Kollár,

As Members of Parliaments from across political parties, we wish to express our deep concern about recent attempts of the Slovakian Parliament to tighten the current abortion law.

Abortion is a time-sensitive matter, women, therefore, need timely and safe access to information and services. The National Council document, number 154, by prolonging the waiting period, stands in the direct opposition with good medical practice, international human rights, and WHO recommendations.1 Additionally, it infringes upon the Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner’s obligations for the Member States to ensure access to abortion care and specifies that any refusal of care on grounds of religion or belief by a medical professional may never be allowed to jeopardise women’s right to access sexual and reproductive health services2. The law would harm women’s equality, dignity, autonomy, and bodily integrity, restricting their access to information and their rights to private life and health.

These are challenging and uncertain times for all of us in Europe where we as elected politicians must ask our electorate to make difficult and unprecedented sacrifices for the common good. In return, our electorate expects us as politicians to live up to our responsibilities to safeguard their rights and well-being. This includes recognising that sexual and reproductive health and rights, including access to abortion, constitute essential health services and that current governments have a responsibility to protect and thereby ensure women’s continued access to this essential health intervention.

1 WHO, Safe abortion: technical and policy guidance for health systems, https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/70914/;jsessionid=20462B98841638912FC1B01FBB3D5B4E? sequence=1 2 Council of Europe, Women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights in Europe https://rm.coe.int/women-s-sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-rights-in-europe-issue-pape/168076dead We, therefore, urge the National Council ruling coalition to respect the fundamental rights of all Slovakians to make autonomous decisions about their own bodies and reproductive abilities, which are at the very core of their fundamental right to equality and privacy concerning intimate matters of physical and psychological integrity, and to refrain from adopting the bill number 154.

Kind regards, Members of Parliaments

Signatories: 1. Hon. Monika Beňová, MEP, Slovakia 2. Hon. Miroslav Číž, MEP, Slovakia 3. Hon. Robert Hajšel, MEP, Slovakia 4. Hon. Martin Hojsík, MEP, Slovakia 5. Hon. Wiezik Michal, MEP, Slovakia 6. Hon. Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová, MEP, Slovakia

7. Hon. Pere Lopez Agras, MP, Andorra 8. Hon. Petra Bayr , MP, 9. Hon. , MEP, Austria 10. Hon. , MEP, Austria 11. Hon. Günther Sidl, MEP, Austria 12. Hon. , MEP, Austria 13. Sen. Fourat Ben Chikh, Belgium 14. Hon. Olivier Bierin, MP, Belgium 15. Hon. Saskia Bricmont, MEP, Belgium 16. Hon. Cécile Thibaut, MEP, Belgium 17. Hon. Samuel Cogolati, MP, Belgium 18. Hon. Barbara Creemers, MP, Belgium 19. Hon. Séverine de Laveleye, MP, Belgium 20. Hon. Petra De Sutter, MEP, Belgium 21. Hon. Christophe Lacroix, MP, Belgium 22. Hon. Leroy Marie-Colline, MEP, Belgium 23. Hon. Isabelle Pauthier, MP, Belgium 24. Hon. Gilles Van den Burre, MP, Belgium 25. Hon. Albert Vicaire, MP, Belgium 26. Hon. Laurence Hennuy, MP, Belgium 27. Hon. Assita Kanko, MEP, Belgium 28. Hon. Sophie Rohonyi, MP, Belgium 29. Hon. Marketa Gregorova, MEP, Czechia 30. Hon. Radka Maxová, MEP, Czechia 31. Hon. , MP, 32. Hon. , MP, Denmark 33. Hon. , MP, Denmark 34. Hon. Mona Juul, MP, Denmark 35. Hon. Stén Knuth, MP, Denmark 36. Hon. Sophie Løhde, MP, Denmark 37. Hon. , MP, Denmark 38. Hon. Kira Marie Peter-Hansen, MEP, Denmark 39. Hon. , MP, Denmark 40. Hon. Søren Søndergaard, MP, Denmark 41. Hon. , MP, Denmark 42. Hon. Pernille Weiss, MEP, Denmark 43. Hon. Rasmus Nordqvist, MP, Denmark 44. Hon. , MEP, Denmark 45. Hon. Birgitte Vind, MP, Denmark 46. Hon. , MEP, Denmark 47. Hon. Eva Biaudet, MP, Finland 48. Hon. Tarja, Filatov, MP, Finland 49. Hon. Satu, Hassi, MP, Finland 50. Hon. Heidi Hautala, MEP, Finland 51. Hon. Inka Hopsu, MP, Finland 52. Hon. Miapetra Kumpula-Natri, MEP, Finland 53. Hon. Merja Kyllönen, MP, Finland 54. Hon. Aki Linden , MP, Finland 55. Hon. Silvia Modig, MEP, Finland 56. Hon. Ville Niinistö, MEP, Finland 57. Hon. Sirpa Pietikäinen, MEP, Finland 58. Hon. Kristiina Salonen, MP, Finland 59. Hon. Hanna Sarkkinen, MP, Finland 60. Hon. Saara-Sofia, Sirén, MP, Finland 61. Hon. Mirka Soinikoski, MP, Finland 62. Hon. Iiris Suomela, MP, Finland 63. Hon. Sofia Virta , MP, Finland 64. Sen. Maryvonne Blondin, France 65. Hon. Leila Chaibi, MEP, France 66. Hon. , MEP, France 67. Hon. Fabienne Keller, MEP, France 68. Hon. Irène Tolleret, MEP, France 69. Hon. Marie Toussaint, MEP, France 70. Hon. Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, MEP, France 71. Hon. Amadou Camara, MP, Gambia 72. Hon. Özlem Alev Demirel, MEP, 73. Hon. , MEP, Germany 74. Hon. Frank Heinrich, MP,Germany 75. Hon. , MP, Germany 76. Hon. Dr. Forest Christoph Hoffmann, MP, Germany 77. Hon. , MP, Germany 78. Hon. Dietmar Köster, MEP, Germany 79. Hon. Cornelia Möhring, MP, Germany 80. Hon. , MP, Germany 81. Hon. , MEP, Germany 82. Hon. , MEP, Germany 83. Hon. , MEP, Germany 84. Hon. , MP, Germany 85. Hon. , MEP, Germany 86. Hon. George Papandreou, MP, Greece 87. Hon. Dimitrios Papadimoulis, MEP, Greece 88. Hon. Zita Gurmai, MP, Hungary 89. Hon. Clare Daly, MEP, Ireland 90. Hon. Mick Wallace, MEP, Ireland 91. Hon. Maria Walsh, MEP, Ireland 92. Hon. Larry P. Younquoi, MP, Liberia 93. Hon. Ali Aleisawi, MP, Libya 94. Hon. , MEP, Luxembourg 95. Hon. , MEP, Luxembourg 96. Sen. Margreet De Boer Senator, Netherlands 97. Hon. Liesje Schreinemacher, MEP, Netherlands 98. Hon. Kim Van Sparrentak, MEP, Netherlands 99. Hon. Tax Vera, MEP, Netherlands 100. Hon. Trine Skei Grande, MP, Norway 101. Hon. Nicholas Wilkinson, MP, Norway 102. Hon. Katarzyna Kretkowska, MP, Poland 103. Hon. Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, MP, Poland 104. Hon. Krzysztof Smiszek , MP, Poland 105. Hon. Katarzyna Ueberhan, MP, Poland 106. Hon. Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, MP, Poland 107. Hon. Katarzyna Kotula, MP, Poland 108. Hon. Barbara Nowacka, MP, Poland 109. Hon. Edite Estrela, MP, Portugal 110. Hon. Sandra Pereira, MEP, Portugal 111. Sen. Florian Bodog, Romania 112. Sen. Hazel Brandy-Williams, Saint Kitts and Nevis 113. Hon. Diakhate Mously, MP, Senegal 114. Hon. , MEP, Slovenia 115. Hon. Mari Cruz Buendia Lozano, MP Spain 116. Hon. Antoni Comín, MEP, Spain 117. Hon. Oihana Etxebarrieta, MP, Spain 118. Hon. Lina Galvez Munoz, MEP, Spain 119. Hon. Maria Isabel Garcia, MP, Spain 120. Hon. Maria Guijarro, MP, Spain 121. Hon. Iñigo Iturrate, MP, Spain 122. Hon. Susana Ross, MP, Spain 123. Hon. Pedro Ruiz, MP, Spain 124. Hon. Noemi Villagrasa, MP, Spain 125. Hon. Martín Barra, MP, Spain 126. Hon. Sofia Castañon, Spain 127. Hon. Lucia Muñoz, MP, Spain 128. Hon. Malin Björk, MEP, Sweden 129. Hon. Heléne Fritzon, MEP, Sweden 130. Hon. Sara Heikkinen Breitholtz, MP, Sweden 131. Hon. , MEP, Sweden 132. Hon. Karin Karlsbro, MEP, Sweden 133. Hon. Fabian Molina, MP, Switzerland 134. Hon. Stella Creasy, MP, UK 135. Hon. John Mann, Lord, UK 136. Baroness Doreen Massey, UK 137. Hon. Virendra Sharma, MP, UK 138. Baroness Jenny Tonge, UK