A "radical expansion" of late-term abortions in the Netherlands is under consideration, with plans to terminate unborn children between 22 and 24 weeks for "social reasons" rather than medical ones — drawing sharp concern from Christian leaders.
OLVG (Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis/Our Dear Lady Hospital), a major hospital in Amsterdam, is considering the approach.
Martine Versteeg-ter Veen, director of MissieNederland (the Dutch evangelical alliance), voiced her concern on social media.
"Increasingly, hospitals are able to keep premature children alive, sometimes even around 22-23 weeks," said Versteeg-ter Veen. "It is astonishing to read that with this trial, children who are the same age can now be aborted without a medical reason."
She said that when there is no medical necessity but social pressure or complex circumstances leading to an abortion, what is needed is social care — not a medical intervention that ends the life of a healthy child.
MissieNederland is now campaigning with civil society organizations and parties in the Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal, the lower House of Representatives in The Hague, who have major objections to the plan.
"Let's continue to build together a (care) culture in which parents are not let alone, vulnerable lives are protected and human dignity is central," pleaded Versteeg-ter Veen, adding that "a serious line is being crossed here."
The SGP (Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij), known in English as the Reformed Political Party, is one of the political groups opposing the plans.
An SGP press release said that mainly healthcare workers felt disgust at the prospect of aborting late-term babies for social reasons. Although the trial is starting at the OLVG, the SGP said a working group of gynecologists at the NVOG is working to expand late-term abortion access for social reasons to all hospitals in the Netherlands — a "radical expansion" that would mean hospitals "soon have to cooperate in the abortion of healthy babies at 22 and 23 weeks." Late-term abortions currently only happen for medical reasons, the SGP said, and not if a baby is healthy.
"This currently hardly ever happens and is highly controversial because these babies sometimes only die hours after an artificially induced birth," said the SGP. "The mere announcement of it is already leading to tension in maternity wards."
The SGP said conversations with healthcare providers at various hospitals revealed that abortions at 22 to 23 weeks for social reasons had already occurred several times in recent months.
"This has a huge impact on the work floor. Many staff members have moral objections to cooperating with this," said SGP Member of Parliament Diederik van Dijk. "Where healthcare providers normally pull out all the stops to keep babies alive, they are now being asked to let a newborn baby die."
"We also detect fear to make this open for discussion within teams. I have an immense amount of understanding for every healthcare provider who says: 'I will not cooperate with this.' Abortion is always very confronting, at whatever stage: it kills a child. With these very late-term abortions, that is visible in a very intense and sad way. A fully formed baby, brought into the world alive and then deliberately left to die in the maternity ward of a hospital... Chilling and crying out to heaven!"
Van Dijk questioned whether the late-term abortion plans even met the legal guidelines of gynecologists and hospitals.
"With this radical expansion of abortion, the boundaries of criminal law are literally being tested. Meanwhile, a serious political or social debate about the moral, legal, and practical questions has never been held. This unethical development must therefore be stopped immediately!"
Van Dijk is submitting a series of parliamentary questions to Health Minister Sophie Hermans about which hospitals plan to perform these abortions, how often, how the baby dies, which guidelines apply, and what is known about pain perception in babies at 22 and 23 weeks.
OLVG issued its own press release strongly rebutting the media coverage.
The hospital said abortion is legally permitted up to 24 weeks. Abortions up to 22 weeks usually take place at an abortion clinic, with care between 22 and 24 weeks taking place in hospitals — but "it appears that in practice, this care is not always easily accessible."
The Health and Youth Care Inspectorate (IGJ) and the Dutch Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (NVOG) therefore want this care better distributed among hospitals in the Netherlands, according to OLVG.
"In the case of pregnancy termination between 22 and 24 weeks, it concerns a small group of women who are often in a difficult and vulnerable situation," read the OLVG statement. "The goal is to be able to receive appropriate care in a timely manner, close to home if possible.
"Various media outlets are reporting that a pilot has started at OLVG; that is incorrect. We are still in an exploratory phase, during which we keep both our patients and our employees in mind. We consult carefully with the involved teams at OLVG beforehand and map out what is needed to potentially organize this care properly and safely."
The NVOG said it has spent recent years identifying bottlenecks and developing "practical tools together with involved professionals" for late-term abortions from 22 weeks onward, including a toolkit and training materials for care teams.
"The NVOG is committed to ensuring that women who qualify for this care within the current legal framework can count on timely, safe, and carefully organized care," the group said. "This requires good cooperation between hospitals and abortion clinics, support for healthcare professionals, and an appropriate regional distribution of this care."
For Versteeg-ter Veen and her allies in MissieNederland, the professional rationale offered by the hospital and medical bodies does not resolve the underlying moral question. Their campaign in the Tweede Kamer continues, aimed at building what they describe as a culture that supports parents, protects the vulnerable, and upholds human dignity.
