Lord David Alton, a veteran Christian human rights campaigner, has urged European governments to act after a United Nations committee raised concerns about reports of forced abortions and sterilisation of women with disabilities in some European Union member states.
The issue surfaced during a March 2025 review meeting between the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and an EU delegation. Committee experts noted that women with disabilities in parts of Europe were still subject to coerced abortions and sterilisation procedures.
Markus Schefer, UN Committee Expert and Taskforce Leader for the European Union, told the session that “forced sterilisation and forced abortions were still being perpetrated on women with disabilities in European Union Member States.”
“Such actions were not criminalised by the Union and there were no policy measures addressing these acts of barbarism,” he said.
The EU delegation responded that a “women’s rights roadmap” was being adopted by member states, which would include a future recommendation on harmful practices to address these issues.
Lord David Alton, a Christian human rights campaigner, told Christian Daily International that “forced abortion and sterilisation upon women with disabilities is an appalling crime and a stain upon those EU Member States that fail to criminalise or otherwise suppress such actions.”
“We owe people with disabilities a special duty of care and for any state to force abortions or sterilisations on women with disabilities is a particular dereliction of that duty of care.”
Alton highlighted that in the U.K. in 2019, a court ruled that a woman with a learning disability who was 22 weeks pregnant had to undergo an abortion against her will.
“While this ruling was overturned, action must be taken in the UK and the EU to ensure forced abortions do not take place,” said Alton.
“Across Europe, we must take action to address the shortage of protective measures against forced abortions and forced sterilisations.”
The European Union needs to fully commit to its 2023 agreement to the Council of Europe Istanbul Convention on combating violence against women by enforcing the prohibition of these practices, according to Alton.
“It is vital to empower and support women with disabilities to continue their pregnancies, rather than be coerced or forced into ending the lives of their unborn children,” he added.
“Now is the time for Europe to demonstrate its commitment to upholding fundamental human rights, protecting every life regardless of disability.”
Catherine Robinson, spokesperson for Right To Life UK, also criticized those EU member states forcing disabled women into abortions and sterilisations.
"Forced abortions or sterilisation are a grave injustice, and that they are taking place in supposedly civilised nations is particularly shocking,” Robinson said.
She urged political leaders across Europe to use their influence to introduce legislation to end such practices, with particular attention to ensuring safeguards within their own countries.
