European abortion in context
After a few comments about my previous eye roll of a note about European politicians grandstanding about abortion, here’s some additional context.
Just shy of 10% of EU citizens live in Poland where abortion is illegal.
The Netherlands is on the other end of the spectrum: abortion is legal until the 24th week of pregnancy, but there’s a mandatory 5-day waiting period, which is slowly being phased out. Thus the most “liberal” European country is still more conservative than many US states.
A few more countries:
- Germany: 12 weeks
- Norway: 12 weeks
- Switzerland: 12 weeks (and was only legalized in 2002!)
- France: 14 weeks
- Sweden: 18 weeks
Waiting periods and mandatory counseling are common.
So what’s my point in all of this?
- EU politicians are grandstanding when bashing the US despite abortion access being uneven and limited across the EU
- Abortion doesn’t have to be a binary issue. There’s a lot of room between late-term abortion on demand and a total ban on abortion.
- Florida’s current abortion law is more permissive than any EU country. I’m not sure American progressives would feel at home in the “socialist” Europe they romanticize.
I haven’t heard anyone in the US talking about abortion in this sort of nuanced way or looking for a comprise. It had to be all or nothing.