Members of the My Voice My Choice initiative with the Vice President of the Croatian Parliament Sabina Glasovac (4L)

Representatives of the opposition Social Democratic Party, SDP, on Friday received members of the My Voice My Choice initiative, which has collected 1.2 million signatures across the EU, prompting the European Parliament to vote next week on a resolution that would guarantee the right of every woman in member states to accessible and safe abortion.

The Vice President of parliament, Sabina Glasovac, and the President of the Gender Equality Committee, Marija Lugaric, met representatives of the initiative from Slovenia and Croatia after the collection of the 1.2 million signatures.

“Thanks to this initiative, we are one step closer to accessible and safe abortion for all women within the European Union,” Glasovac said at a press conference, adding that almost 1.2 million citizens had raised their voices for the estimated 20 million women who still do not have access to safe and accessible abortion.

Croatia, she noted, had made an exceptional contribution to the initiative, gathering 65,000 signatures, 780 per cent more than the national threshold set as a goal for each country.

“This clearly demonstrates the support of Croatian citizens for women’s reproductive health, the right to choose, and equality. This is a call that cannot be ignored; women do not need obstacles, judgments, or prejudices,” Glasovac added.

“Women need safe care and freedom of decision-making, and we know this very well, because although abortion is legal in Croatia, women still encounter conscientious-objection barriers that force them to travel to neighbouring countries for healthcare, naturally at their own expense,” Glasovac said.

“With the adoption of the resolution in the European Parliament, launched by the MVMC initiative and scheduled for a vote on December 18, such situations will become a thing of the past,” she added.

Zlatko Djogic from MVMC Slovenia said they are supported by a diverse community and individuals from all over Europe.

“We have reached the threshold in 19 EU countries, and we have signatories from all member states,” he said, expressing hope that the European Parliament will adopt the resolution and call on the European Commission to act.

Marinella Matejcic from MVMC Croatia said the number of signatures shows that citizens understand that medical care related to abortion is extremely important and that they wish to express dissatisfaction with the current situation.

It should not be a political issue, nor should healthcare be a luxury, as it still is in many countries, she said. “This result gives us the strength to continue our fight and mission to make healthcare truly accessible to absolutely everyone,” Matejcic concluded.

Lugaric argued that both Croatia and the EU are witnessing attacks on women’s rights, especially reproductive rights.

“This is not a request but a demand, and once it is adopted in the European Parliament, all that remains for us in Croatia is to continue fighting for constitutionally guaranteed healthcare for every woman,” Lugaric said.