The opposition party Pro wants abortion removed from the Criminal Code and is planning on submitting an initiative bill, NOS reports. Lawmaker Lisa Vliegenthart says abortion should be placed in healthcare law. “As far as I am concerned, abortion is care, and care truly has no place in the Criminal Code.”

Abortion is legal in the Netherlands. Article 296 makes abortion a criminal offense unless it is performed by a physician and meets the conditions of the Termination of Pregnancy Act. This does not make the pregnant woman herself punishable.

According to Vliegenthart, who worked as a midwife and as a support person for women going through abortions, having an abortion in the criminal code fuels the stigma. “I myself have accompanied dozens of women through this kind of care. We simply see that the shame, the stigma, and the taboo around it are enormous,” she said. “So we want to treat abortion as what it is: care, and take it out of criminal law.”

Vliegenthart also mentioned the case when, in 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal right to abortion. “We have to prevent this from happening in the Netherlands as well,” she said.

D66, VVD, Volt, SP, and Partij voor de Dieren support the move. The initiative bill is now being taken to the Council of State, after which it will reach the Tweede Kamer.