European Parliament commits to gender equality and women sexual and reproductive rights

Civil society and human rights organisations welcome the adoption of the Report on Equality between women and men in the EU (2013) authored by MEP Marc Tarabella.

Despite numerous falsehoods and emotional manipulation spread by anti-human-rights organisations about the Report, the European Parliament has clearly affirmed its will to combat gender-discrimination in Europe.

Adopted with a comfortable majority of 441 votes in favour and 205 votes against, this report addresses persistent and increasing deadlocks on gender equality and proposes actions on a wide range of issues: developing childcare facilities; combating stereotypes against female employment; reducing gender pay and pension gaps; establishing paid paternity leave to enable men and fathers to achieve a better work-life balance and raising awareness on violence against women with a European year dedicated to this issue.

Importantly also, MEPs have clearly agreed that women must have control over their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), including access to contraception, legal abortion and sexuality education – although the EU can only encourage Member States’ policies on this issue and not initiate policies on its own.

On the 20^th anniversary of the Beijing Platform and two days after the International Women’s Day, any other vote from the European Parliament on this issue would have cast a shadow on the institution’s commitment to promote human rights.

We congratulate all MEPs who firmly supported further actions to realize gender equality in Europe – and especially better SRHR for women –  but also all the organisations and citizens who mobilised in favour of this report.

Besides the report on Equality there will be a vote on the Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World 2013 and the European Union’s policy on the matter (authored by Pier Antonio PANZERI) which also contains important recommendations in relation with sexual and reproductive health rights and the rights of LGBT people. We call all MEPs to remain mobilised and to secure the adoption of such provisions on Thursday 12.

Signatories:

European Humanist Federation

Catholics for Choice

International Planned Parenthood Federation – EN

EPF- European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development

ILGA-Europe

For more information, please contact Julie Pernet, European Humanist Federation: [email protected] | T +32 2 627 68 24

Who voted what ? 

Members of the European Parliament who voted in favour of the report (441):

ALDE: Ali, Arthuis, Auštrevičius, Bearder, Becerra Basterrechea, Bilbao Barandica, Cavada, De Backer, Deprez, de Sarnez, Diaconu, Faria, Federley, Gerbrandy, Girauta Vidal, Goerens, Goulard, Griesbeck, Guoga, Harkin, Hyusmenova, in ‘t Veld, Jäätteenmäki, Jakovčić, Kallas, Kyuchyuk, Marinho e Pinto, Maura Barandiarán, Michel, Mihaylova, van Miltenburg, Mlinar, Müller, Nart, Nicolai, Paet, Pagazaurtundúa Ruiz, Paulsen, Petersen, Radoš, Ries, Rochefort, Schaake, Toom, Torvalds, Tremosa i Balcells, Uspaskich, Vajgl, Vautmans, Väyrynen, Verhofstadt, Wikström ECR: Demesmaeker, Marias, Stevens, von Storch, Van Bossuyt

EFDD: Adinolfi, Affronte, Agea, Beghin, Castaldo, Corrao, D’Amato, Evi, Ferrara, Lundgren, Mazuronis, Pedicini, Tamburrano, Valli, Winberg, Zanni, Zullo

GUE/NGL: Albiol Guzmán, Björk, Chrysogonos, Echenique, Eck, Ernst, Ferreira João, Forenza, Glezos, González Peñas, Hadjigeorgiou, Hazekamp, Iglesias, de Jong, Juaristi Abaunz, Konečná, Kouloglou, Kuneva, Kyllönen, Le Hyaric, López Bermejo, Lösing, Maltese, Maštálka, Matias, Mélenchon, Michels, Mineur, Omarjee, Papadimoulis, Ransdorf, Sakorafa, Sánchez Caldentey, Scholz, Senra Rodríguez, Spinelli, Sylikiotis, Urbán Crespo, Vallina, Vergiat, Viegas, Zimmer, Zuber

EPP: Alliot-Marie, Arimont, Bach, Belet, Bogovič, Boni, BuÈ™oi, Cadec, Cicu, Cirio, Clune, Coelho, Corazza Bildt, Danjean, Dantin, Dati, Delahaye, Díaz de Mera García Consuegra, Engel, Estaràs Ferragut, Fernandes, Fjellner, Gabriel, Gambús, González Pons, de Grandes Pascual, Grossetête, Hayes, Herranz García, Hökmark, Hübner, Iturgaiz, JazÅ‚owiecka, Jiménez-Becerril Barrio, Joulaud, Kalniete, KariĦš, Kefalogiannis, Kelly, Kovatchev, KozÅ‚owska-Rajewicz, Kudrycka, Kukan, Kyrtsos, Lamassoure, La Via, Lavrilleux, Le Grip, Lope Fontagné, López-Istúriz White, Macovei, Malinov, Mănescu, Marinescu, Martusciello, Matera, Mato, Millán Mon, Monteiro de Aguiar, Morano, Morin-Chartier, MureÈ™an, Muselier, Mussolini, Nagy, Niedermayer, Novakov, Pabriks, Paunova, Plura, Polčák, Ponga, Pospíšil, Preda, Proust, Radev, Rangel, Reding, Ribeiro, Rolin, Saïfi, Sander, Sarvamaa, Sernagiotto, Sógor, ŠtÄ›tina, Stolojan, Szejnfeld, Toti, Urutchev, Vandenkendelaere, Virkkunen, Winkler Iuliu, Zagorakis

S&D: Aguilera García, Anderson Lucy, Andrieu, Androulakis, Arena, Assis, Ayala Sender, Balas, Balčytis, Bayet, Benifei, Berès, Bettini, Blanco López, BlinkevičiÅ«t÷, Bonafè, Borzan, BoÈ™tinaru, Brannen, Bresso, Briano, Bullmann, Cabezón Ruiz, Caputo, Childers, Chinnici, Christensen, Cofferati, Corbett, Costa, Cozzolino, Cristea, Dalli, Dance, Dăncilă, Danti, De Castro, Delvaux, De Monte, Denanot, Dodds Anneliese, Drăghici, Ertug, Fajon, Fernández, Ferreira Elisa, Flašíková Beňová, Fleckenstein, Freund, Frunzulică, García Pérez, Gardiazabal Rubial, Gasbarra, Gebhardt, Geier, Gentile, Geringer de Oedenberg, Gierek, Gill Neena, Giuffrida, Gomes, Grammatikakis, Grapini, Griffin, Groote, Gualtieri, Guerrero Salom, Guillaume, Guteland, Gutiérrez Prieto, Hedh, Hoffmann, Honeyball, Howitt, Iotova, Ivan, Jaakonsaari, Jáuregui Atondo, Jongerius, Kadenbach, Kaili, Kammerevert, Kaufmann, Keller Jan, Khan, Kirton-Darling, Kofod, Köster, Krehl, Kumpula-Natri, Kyenge, Kyrkos, Lange, Lauristin, Leichtfried, Leinen, Liberadzki, Lietz, López, López Aguilar, Ludvigsson, Łybacka, McAvan, Mamikins, Maňka, Manscour, Martin David, Martin Edouard, Maurel, Mavrides, Melior, Mizzi, Moisă, Molnár, Moody, Moraes, Mosca, Negrescu, Nekov, Neuser, Nica, Niedermüller, Nilsson, Panzeri, Paolucci, Papadakis Demetris, Pargneaux, PaÈ™cu, Pavel, Peillon, Picierno, Piri, Pirinski, Pittella, Poc, Poche, Post, Preuß, Rebega, Regner, Revault D’Allonnes Bonnefoy, Rodrigues Liliana, Rodrigues Maria João, Rodríguez-Piñero Fernández, Rodust, Rozière, Sant, Sârbu, Sassoli, Schaldemose, Schlein, Schuster, Sehnalová, Silva Pereira, Simon Peter, Simon Siôn, Sippel, Smolková, Soru, Stanishev, Steinruck, Stihler, Szanyi, Tănăsescu, Tapardel, Tarabella, Thomas, Toia, Ujhelyi, Ulvskog, Valenciano, Van Brempt, Vaughan, Viotti, Ward, Weidenholzer, von Weizsäcker, Werner, Westphal, Zala, Zanonato, Zemke, Zorrinho

GREENS/ALE: Albrecht, Auken, Bové, Bütikofer, Ceballos, Cramer, Delli, Durand, Eickhout, Engström, Eriksson, Evans, Harms, Häusling, Hautala, Heubuch, Hudghton, Jadot, Jávor, Joly, Keller Ska, Lambert, Lamberts, Lochbihler, Lunacek, Maragall, Meszerics, Reda, Reimon, Reintke, Rivasi, Rop÷, Sargentini, Scott Cato, Sebastià, Škrlec, Smith, Šoltes, Staes, Tarand, Taylor, Terricabras, Trüpel, Turmes, Urtasun, Vana, Ždanoka

MEPS who voted against the report

ALDE: van Baalen, Huitema, Lambsdorff, van Nieuwenhuizen, Rohde, Tørnæs

ECR: Ashworth, Barekov, Bashir, Belder, Campbell Bannerman, Czarnecki, van Dalen, Dalton, Duda, Duncan, Dzhambazki, Foster, Fox, Gericke, Girling, Gosiewska, Gróbarczyk, Halla-aho, Henkel, Kamall, Karlsson, Kirkhope, Kölmel, KrasnodÄ™bski, Kuźmiuk, Legutko, Lewer, Lucke, McClarkin, McIntyre, Messerschmidt, Nicholson, OÅœóg, Piecha, Piotrowski, PorÄ™ba, Pretzell, Škripek, Starbatty, Sulík, Tannock, Terho, Tomaševski, Tomašić, Tošenovský, Trebesius, Ujazdowski, Van Orden, Vistisen, WiÅ›niewska, Wojciechowski, Zahradil, ZÄ«le, Žitňanská, ZÅ‚otowski

EFDD: Iwaszkiewicz, Mach

NI: Aliot, Annemans, Arnautu, Balczó, Bay, Bilde, Bizzotto, Borghezio, Boutonnet, Briois, Chauprade, Dodds Diane, D’Ornano, Epitideios, Ferrand, Fontana, Fountoulis, Goddyn, Gollnisch, Jalkh, Jansen, Kappel, Korwin-Mikke, Lebreton, Le Pen Marine, Loiseau, Maeijer, Martin Dominique, Mayer, Mélin, Monot, Montel, Obermayr, Papadakis Konstantinos, Salvini, Schaffhauser, Sonneborn, Stuger, Synadinos, Troszczynski, Vilimsky, Voigt, Zarianopoulos, Å›óÅ‚tek

EPP: Adaktusson, Ayuso, Balz, Becker, Bocskor, Böge, Brok, Buda, van de Camp, Casa, Caspary, del Castillo Vera, Cesa, Collin-Langen, Comi, Comodini Cachia, Csáky, Deli, Deß, Deutsch, Dorfmann, Ehler, Ferber, Fitto, Florenz, Gahler, Gardini, Gieseke, Gräßle, Grzyb, Gyürk, Hetman, Hohlmeier, Hölvényi, Hortefeux, Jahr, Kalinowski, Karas, Kelam, Koch, Köstinger, Kuhn, de Lange, Langen, Lenaers, Lewandowski, Liese, Lins, McAllister, Maletić, Mann, Melo, Metsola, Mikolášik, Niebler, van Nistelrooij, Olbrycht, Patriciello, Petir, Pieper, Pitera, Plenković, Pogliese, QuisthoudtRowohl, Reul, Ruas, Rübig, Salini, Saudargas, Schmidt, Schöpflin, Schreijer-Pierik, Schulze, Schwab, Siekierski, Šojdrová, Sommer, Spyraki, Štefanec, Stier, Šuica, Svoboda, Szájer, Tajani, Tıkés, Vaidere, Valcárcel, Vălean, Voss, WaÅ‚Ä™sa, Weber Manfred, Wenta, Wieland, Winkler Hermann, Záborská, Zdechovský, Zeller

Greens/ALE: Buchner

MEPs who abstained (52)

ALDE: Charanzová, Dlabajová, Ježek, Meissner, Riquet, Telička, Theurer

ECR: Ford

EFDD: Agnew, Arnott, Atkinson, Batten, Bergeron, Bours, Carver, Etheridge, Farage, Finch, Gill Nathan, Helmer, Hookem, James, Moi, Nuttall, O’Flynn, Paksas, Reid, Seymour, Woolfe

GUE/NGL: Anderson Martina, Boylan, Carthy, Flanagan NI: Morvai PPE: Bendtsen, Buzek, Christoforou, Erdıs, Juvin, Kósa, Łukacijewska, McGuinness, Rosati, Theocharous, Thun und Hohenstein, Tomc, Ungureanu, Zdrojewski, Zver, Zwiefka

S&D: Morgano, Zoffoli