By Although abortion has been legal in the country since 1978, by a large majority vote in the legislature the small European nation has inserted the “freedom to abort” in the constitution.
Luxembourg has become the second country in Europe to enshrine the “freedom to abort” in its constitution, following the precedent set by France in 2024.
The Luxembourg unicameral legislature approved establishing the “freedom to abort” in the constitution on March 1 with a large parliamentary majority in a 48-6 vote with two abstentions.
The amendment to the constitution comes four years after the strengthening of the 1978 legislation that originally permitted abortion in the country. The effort was initiated by the left-wing party Déi Lénk with a proposal presented in 2024, which was subsequently approved by the Council of State.
A number of French-speaking countries refer to abortion with the euphemism “voluntary interruption of pregnancy,” or IVG by its French acronym.
Following the debate prior to the measureʼs approval, it was decided to include the phrase “freedom to abort” in the text instead of “right to an abortion.” This choice establishes the legality of abortion, albeit subject to certain legal limitations.
Its incorporation into the constitution also grants it greater legal protection than that afforded by ordinary laws.
‘Every human being possesses an inalienable dignity’
In September 2025 the countryʼs bishops expressed their disagreement with the constitutional initiative and emphasized that “every human being possesses an inalienable and indispensable dignity at every stage of life, even before birth.”
On behalf of the Catholic Church in the country, they reiterated that human dignity and the protection of life “are inextricably joined together” and that the inclusion of this supposed public freedom in the constitution “represents a shift in the ethical and legal paradigm.”
They denounced the fact that the starting point for legalizing abortion is the womanʼs right to self-determination over her own body, meaning that the fetus ceases to be distinguished “in any meaningful way as a separate human being.”
“The right to life of the unborn child is relegated to a secondary level compared to the womanʼs right to self-determination,” they lamented.
In this context, the prelates emphasized that “creating a legal framework that simply allows individuals to pursue their own life projects in a self-determined manner cannot be the sole consideration.”
They therefore proposed promoting a balance between family and work, fostering a shared approach to parenting, supporting single parents, preventing child poverty, and guaranteeing equal rights in the workplace.
In their view, establishing a fundamental right to abortion in the constitution “promotes the logic of the law of the strongest” and they argued that the problems and crises many families face during pregnancy could be resolved without amending the constitution.
Currently, abortion is legal in Luxembourg up to 12 weeks of gestation. Furthermore, in July 2025 certain requirements were eliminated such as the mandatory three-day waiting period and the pre-abortion counseling session.
Other European countries could be poised to follow the example of France and Luxembourg, as is the case in Spain, after the Council of State endorsed its inclusion as a right in the constitution last February.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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As a question–and not an accusation–just wondering here if opposition in 2025 by the Catholic prelates might have been weakened by synodality’s Cardinal Hollerich and his earlier ambiguities, considering for example an interview with The Pillar:
“In Japan, I got to know a different way of thinking. The Japanese don’t think in terms of the European logic of opposites. We say: It is black, therefore it is not white. The Japanese say: It is white, but maybe it is also black. You can combine opposites in Japan without changing your point of view.” https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/who-is-cardinal-hollerich.
This too–a sign of the times:
For membership in the European Union, a nation is required to abolish capital punishment…
Where St. John Paul II issued the prudential judgment on the use of capital punishment, that “such cases are very rare. if not practically non-existent” (The Gospel of Life, n. 56), he then segued directly into this:
“If such great care must be taken to respect every life, even that of criminals and unjust aggressors, the commandment ‘You shall not kill’ has absolute value [!] when it refers to the ‘innocent person’ [italics]. And all the more so in the case of weak and defenseless human beings, who find their ultimate defense against the arrogance and caprice of others only in the absolute binding force of God’s commandment” (n. 57).
Give us Barabbas.
Freedom to abort?
Gee, I wonder why we have a birth dearth.
And we are shocked because of WHAT, exactly? When is the last time you actually heard a priest preach about the evil of abortion? Or the easily accepted sexual promiscuity which is the bearing reason for most of those pregnancies? Why are priests ok with marrying people who are living together and say so to the priest outright? And when questioned if they will raise a child Catholic answer”probably not”. Yet are still permitted to get married in the church.
yes, taking a hard line on these issues will cause some to drift away. Small loss. I would suspect these folks neither attend Mass on Sunday nor support the church financially. In any event its time for our church and it’s priests to actually “talk the talk”. Let the chips fall where they may. Stop with the barely mention it, “I dont want to hurt anyone’s feelings” approach. Failing to do so is what we see now happening in France and Luxembourg.
Failing to speak church doctrine clearly and strongly is why we have Germany doing hand-stands wanting to allow women priests and marry gay and trans couples. Someone in authority has to start saying NO.
The European Union is a demonic entity that needs to be abolished.