The SocialMarie Award–winning project of 2025 makes history in the European Parliament

The citizens’ initiative My Voice, My Choice collected over 1.12 million signatures across Europe, which led to a vote in the European Parliament on 17 December 2025. My Voice, My Choice from Slovenia won second prize at the SocialMarie Awards in 2025.

The European Parliament has supported the “My Voice, My Choice” citizens’ initiative, which calls for improved access to safe and legal abortion across the EU. The initiative proposes a voluntary, EU-funded solidarity mechanism to support women in member states where access is restricted. Parliament highlights ongoing legal and practical barriers in several countries and calls for reforms in line with international human rights standards. It also stresses the importance of sexual and reproductive health and rights, including contraception, family planning and maternal healthcare, and warns against growing rollbacks of women’s rights and anti-gender movements.

After the vote, rapporteur Abir Al-Sahlani stated that the decision represents a major victory for women in Europe and shows that sexual and reproductive healthcare is a fundamental human right. The strong public support for the initiative demonstrates that EU citizens care deeply about women’s health, lives and rights. The European Commission must present its next steps by March 2026.

For further reading, see: Website of the European Parliament