Abortion: the fight continues

Dr Verougstraete, you witnessed the turbulent struggle for the right to abortion at first hand from the very beginning. What was the catalyst back then?
Anne Verougstraete: “After May ’68, ‘control over one’s own body’ became a hot topic. 2 years later, the Société belge pour la législation de l’avortement (SBLA), the Belgian Association for the Legalisation of Abortion, was founded. Gynaecologist Willy Peers was one of the founders. His role in the abortion debate can hardly be overestimated. He had already performed hundreds of abortions in the early 1970s and had long advocated for unhindered access to contraception, which was banned in Belgium until 1973. Peers also regarded the right to abortion as part of legitimate family planning. In 1973, he was arrested after performing an abortion on a minor girl with a mental disability. She had been raped by her foster father. At that point, the struggle reached a climax. Dr Peers spent 34 days in prison, and during that period Belgium was, quite literally, in an uproar to secure his release. Ultimately, he was never convicted; they did not dare to do so. In any case, the Peers case marked a turning point: abortion made it onto the political agenda and attracted greater public interest. This public attention also prompted a number of hospitals, initially those affiliated with the ULB and VUB, to come forward with their abortion practices. At the AZ-VUB, Professor JJ Amy was one of the leading figures."

Yet it wasn’t until 1990 that abortion, under certain conditions, was no longer a criminal offence? 
Verougstraete: “That’s right. Catholic Flanders had a very strong CVP at the time, which blocked any legislative change for a long time. The Royal Family was also strongly opposed. The abortion law was finally passed in 1990. Since then, performing or undergoing an abortion in our country has been permitted up to the 12th week after conception, without medical grounds and subject to a six-day waiting period.”

Fast forward to today: do girls and women who are now facing an unwanted pregnancy find it easy to get to an abortion clinic?
Martens: “I get the impression that women generally do find their way easily, because abortion has now become a topic that can be discussed openly in society. I also notice that they are often referred by their GP or gynaecologist, which is a good thing. There is a general consensus that everyone should have access to good and safe abortion care. What we haven’t reached yet is a point where a woman herself says: ‘I’ve had an abortion.’ That’s still considered taboo.”
Verougstraete: “Those who still struggle to find their way are undocumented migrants. This is often linked to the application for reimbursement by the OCMW, which slows down the process, even following a request for urgent medical assistance. So there is certainly still work to be done in that area.”

In 2024, you (VUB-Dilemma) and Luna vzw launched a campaign called ‘Abortion, and then what?’, which calls for a new abortion law. What exactly is it about?
Martens: “First and foremost, we want to challenge the time limit for abortion. Currently, a pregnancy may only be terminated in the first 12 weeks after conception – 14 weeks after the last menstrual period – whereas in the Netherlands, for example, it is permitted up to the 22nd week. We also want to do away with the patronising and humiliating waiting period that is mandatory between an initial consultation and the actual procedure. What people forget is that this decision-making process does not begin at that first consultation, but that, in most cases, the decision has already been carefully considered before the step is taken to visit an abortion clinic.”
Verougstraete: “Specifically, the experts (Verougstraete contributed to their report, ed.) are calling for an extension of the pregnancy limit for abortion to a minimum of 18 weeks after conception and the abolition – in law at least – of the waiting period. Let the woman and the care provider decide for themselves how much time the woman in question needs to make a well-informed decision. For sterilisation, for example, there is no mandatory waiting period; it is done by mutual agreement. Women certainly won’t go ahead with an abortion if they aren’t ready for it.”

Finally, what are your hopes for the near future?
Martens: “That our recommendations will soon become law. But also that the myths surrounding abortion will disappear. Ultimately, abortion is not an exception: 1 in 5 women will experience it at some point in their lives.”
Verougstraete: “That abortion becomes normalised, forms part of healthcare legislation, and is assessed, treated and reimbursed accordingly. And it’s true: take 10 women aged 50 having a chat over a meal, and 2 of them will have terminated a pregnancy. It’s just that, so far, everyone has kept quiet about it.”