“Citizens must be able to trust that fundamental rights and freedoms will not be called into question from one legislative term to the next,” emphasised DP President Carole Hartmann during the debates in the Chamber of Deputies today on enshrining the freedom to access abortion in the Constitution. She also highlighted once again the important role played by the Democratic Party over recent decades in the continuous strengthening of women’s self-determination.
By anchoring this principle in the Constitution, the Chamber defines a freedom that sets clear limits to the power of the State. This step was necessary in order to better safeguard women’s freedom of choice. A simple law, by contrast, would always remain politically reversible. The vast majority of the DP parliamentary group supports this reform, which establishes a protective framework against potential state interference without altering the legal regime governing abortion. The existing time limits remain unchanged, the conditions under which an abortion may take place stay the same, and the legal framework remains exactly as it is.
For the mayor and MP from Echternach, this constitutional amendment also sends a clear signal internationally. Luxembourg thus affirms itself as a state governed by the rule of law that not only declares women’s rights but also secures them institutionally. However, in order for this right to be exercised, the necessary conditions must also exist in practice. Creating these conditions, Carole Hartmann stressed, is a political responsibility.
Because abortion should ideally remain a last resort, the Democratic Party also calls for further improvements in prevention and awareness in Luxembourg. This includes universal access to contraception and stronger affective and sexual education. These measures are not alternatives to the freedom to access abortion, but necessary complements that reinforce women’s right to bodily autonomy and protect their dignity—just as this constitutional freedom helps safeguard that right against future uncertainty.
DP President Carole Hartmann described the constitutional revision as a strong expression of trust: trust in women’s maturity, in the stability of the rule of law, and in the ability of the Chamber to safeguard fundamental freedoms over the long term. During the first vote on enshrining the freedom to access abortion in the Constitution, the Democratic Party’s parliamentary group did not issue a voting instruction. Each MP voted according to their conscience. In total, 48 deputies voted in favour of the constitutional amendment.
