Abortion law stuck in promises: “Those facing an unwanted pregnancy have no use for delay”

The message is loud and clear: it’s time to finally move forward with the reform of Belgium’s abortion law. In an opinion piece, Raymonda Verdyck, chair of deMens.nu, urges politicians to stop looking away from the reality faced by thousands of women. “Those who are dealing with an unwanted pregnancy today cannot wait,” she writes pointedly.

Ethical progress on pause

Last week once again showed how fragile ethical progress can be. In Parliament, the proposals to relax abortion rules were rejected — again. The majority remains divided, and so the issue is postponed — waiting for new texts, for consensus, for the “right” political moment. But for women in distress today, waiting is not an option.

Heartbreaking testimonies

During the Mijn lichaam (“My Body”) campaign earlier this year, deMens.nu already called for urgent action. Thousands of women wrote letters to politicians — not with slogans, but with deeply personal and moving stories. A sixteen-year-old refugee described how, after sexual violence, she desperately tried to end her pregnancy with drain cleaner. Another woman told how she had to travel to the Netherlands for an abortion because, after twelve weeks, she was “treated like a criminal” in her own country.

These are not isolated cases, Verdyck stresses. They are the direct result of a law that fails to evolve with reality. Belgium continues to enforce a mandatory six-day waiting period, even though research shows that most women have already made their decision at the first consultation.

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Law and reality out of sync

That waiting period is more than just a formality: it causes stress, trauma, and sometimes forces women beyond the legal limit. Yet the 2023 expert report was crystal clear: abolish the waiting period, extend the legal limit to at least 18 weeks, recognize abortion as healthcare, and remove it entirely from the penal code.

These recommendations are both scientifically and ethically grounded, but remain politically blocked. Abortion is currently being held hostage in a broader “ethical negotiation” that also includes surrogacy and euthanasia for dementia. “But each of these issues deserves its own careful consideration,” says Verdyck. “Ethics is not a bargaining chip.”

A call for courage

The appeal from deMens.nu is as urgent as it is simple: stop postponing. Not until next summer, not until the next elections — but now. Because women facing an unwanted pregnancy have no use for promises.

Today, some still have to cross the border to the Netherlands, where abortion is legal up to 22 weeks. “Let’s stop forcing women to cross that border — literally and figuratively,” Verdyck concludes. “They deserve care, choice, and respect. Politics should not be a refuge for inaction. Every delay is a decision — and every decision has consequences.”

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