Campaigners in Belgium are pressing the government to extend the country’s abortion limit from 12 weeks after conception to 18, backed by a poll commissioned by an abortion provider.
Sixteen organisations set out the demand in an open letter on Tuesday, arguing that the limit should rest on scientific advice and not be used as a political bargaining chip. At present, abortion after 12 weeks is allowed only for medical reasons, and a six-day waiting period separates a first consultation from the procedure.
The letter followed a survey carried out for LUNA Abortion Centres, a non-profit abortion provider, which found 54 per cent of Belgians in favour of looser rules, most of them preferring 18 weeks or more. However, respondents were asked about hypothetical scenarios, including pregnancy after rape and women not wanting children, and those who were unsure were counted on neither side. A majority also said the issue was not a particular concern to them, and 90 per cent said they trusted doctors for information on abortion, compared with just four per cent who said the same of politicians. Researcher Lies Maurissen acknowledged the picture was not straightforward, noting that people who want to keep the 12-week limit do not necessarily oppose every later abortion. LUNA director Carine Vrancken said women seeking abortions come from every religious and political background.
The government has so far held back. Ministers began work before the summer on a limit of 14 weeks, though a panel of experts appointed by the previous federal government concluded in 2023 that 18 weeks should be the minimum and that the waiting period should be scrapped. Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden, of the Christian Democrat party CD&V, regards 14 weeks as the only workable compromise between the coalition’s conservative and progressive wings. Campaigners counter that the figure came from coalition bargaining and not from medical expertise.
Dr Anne Verougstraete, an abortion doctor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel who sat on the expert panel, says CD&V made clear before the report appeared that it would go no further than 14 weeks. She estimates that a 14-week limit would serve only 22 per cent of Belgian women who now travel abroad for abortions, against 74 per cent at 18 weeks. About 400 women a year make that journey to the Netherlands, where abortion is permitted up to 22 weeks, counted from the last menstrual period. The argument has run since 2020 and once threatened to derail coalition talks. With the government still divided, pressure for a later cut-off is unlikely to ease.
