By working to enshrine the right to death via constitutional amendment, Western nations are denying God, removing the foundations of human dignity, silencing conscience, and locking abortion out of any future democratic debate.
Spain and Luxembourg are pushing to make abortion a constitutional right, following France’s lead earlier this year in a move that pro-life advocates call one of Europe’s most alarming moral and political shifts in decades.
Both governments, led by left-wing coalitions, have framed the proposals as protecting women’s rights from what they call “reactionary threats.”
But pro-life leaders across Europe argue that the effort represents a dangerous precedent, claiming that the change would embed abortion so deeply into law that future generations could not restrict abortion or even debate it.
On October 3, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s socialist government announced a plan to add abortion to the nation’s constitution as a “fundamental right.” The proposed amendment would ensure that “women’s right to voluntarily terminate pregnancy” is constitutionally guaranteed, a step Sánchez said would “shield women’s freedoms against regression.”
“Women’s rights are human rights, and there is no going back,” Sánchez said. “Spain must lead in guaranteeing those rights.”
Pro-life advocates warn that the proposal would create a permanent legal barrier to any future limits on abortion, constitutionalizing a right to death rather than to life. The change would also erode conscience protections for doctors and nurses who object to performing abortions and force taxpayers to fund the procedure.
Manuel Suárez, an evangelical doctor, opposes the government’s stance, noting the psychological and emotional consequences for women who have an abortion. “There are many studies that demonstrate this harsh reality; and, to leave no doubt, the risk of depression is higher in induced abortions compared to spontaneous ones.”
The president of the Madrid Medical Association, Manuel Martínez-Sellés, also warned about the consequences of abortion.
“Beyond the physical, induced abortion can have emotional and psychological consequences,” he wrote. “To ignore that abortion, like any pharmacological or surgical procedure, can have negative effects is contrary to reason, clinical practice and scientific evidence. Making these risks known, always with respect and without stigmatisation, is essential for women to be able to exercise their right to informed consent.”
Spain already has one of Europe’s most permissive abortion regimes. Abortion is legal up to 14 weeks of pregnancy for any reason and later in cases of fetal abnormality or danger to the mother’s health. Yet the Sánchez government has sought to expand abortion access further, requiring public hospitals to provide abortions and allowing minors as young as 16 to obtain one without parental consent.
If the amendment succeeds, it will take abortion policy entirely out of the hands of future parliaments. Amendments to Spain’s constitution require a three-fifths majority vote in both legislative chambers.
Achieving this vote will be challenging but not impossible for the current leftist coalition, which has support from smaller progressive parties. Pro-life lawyers warn that even if Spain’s parliament narrowly fails to pass the measure, the focus behind it reflects a growing movement to constitutionalize abortion across Europe.
Luxembourg is also considering its own constitutional reform that would add abortion rights to its national charter. Lawmakers have been debating whether to define abortion as a “freedom” or a “right,” but experts say either term would have the same legal consequence.
In either case, the legal change would elevate abortion to the same level of protection as freedom of speech or religion.
On October 6, a parliamentary committee settled in favor of “freedom.” The wording would allow doctors to choose whether to perform or decline abortion procedures despite the constitutional change.
Only Fred Keup of the Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR) voted against the change, according to RTL Today, a European news outlet. He explained his reasoning by saying,
“It’s still the same question of when life begins. Some see it one way, others another, but I think it’s important to respect those who believe that this goes against the right to life and that it’s not a good thing. Despite the general euphoria that this issue may bring with it, we must not forget [those that disagree] and we should still have respect for their opinion too. That would be a good thing.”
The push by both Spain and Luxembourg comes after France’s move in March, when President Emmanuel Macron’s government made abortion a constitutional “freedom.” Macron hailed the reform as a “triumph of liberty,” celebrating it at the Palace of Versailles. The move made France the first country in the world to include the right to abortion in its constitution.
Pro-life groups have pointed out that these governments are pursuing the reforms amid demographic collapse. Spain’s fertility rate has fallen to 1.2 births per woman, one of the lowest in the world, while deaths now outnumber births in much of the country. Luxembourg, too, faces population decline without immigration.
Legal experts warn that constitutionalizing abortion undermines democratic principles by removing the issue from public debate. Once a “right” is enshrined in a constitution, it becomes almost impossible to alter without near-unanimous political agreement.
A related concern includes the European Parliament’s call for abortion to be recognized as a “fundamental right” in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Pro-life lawmakers fear that once individual member states rewrite their constitutions, EU institutions could claim authority to impose abortion access across the continent.
For now, Spain’s proposed amendment remains in committee, and Luxembourg’s draft is still under debate, but the stakes are enormous. If Spain and Luxembourg succeed, the message to the world will be that Europe has forgotten the right to life, the most basic right of all.
The effort to write abortion into their constitutions is being presented as a political debate but really it’s a spiritual battle. These governments are not safeguarding freedom. They are rebelling against the Author of life and supporting the death of innocent children.
Scripture teaches that every human being is fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God (Psalm 139:13–16). To deny that truth is to reject the foundation of human dignity. A nation that forgets this soon becomes unmoored from reality. Romans 1 warns of the spiritual blindness that overtakes societies when they “exchange the truth about God for a lie.”
That is what we see unfolding in parts of Europe today. France, Spain, and other nations (and even in many U.S. states and cities) advocate the lie that death is somehow a right.
Christians cannot remain silent, even when the issue occurs across the ocean. The call to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves” (Proverbs 31:8) applies regardless of location. To defend life is to advocate for the image of God reflected in every child, every mother, and every family.
The Church must respond not only with concern but with hope. The same Gospel that transforms hearts can also transform nations. Every law begins with belief. When believers live and speak boldly about the sanctity of life, they testify that no court or constitution can overrule God’s design.
As Christians, we pray for change in Europe, advocating for leaders who would turn from celebrating what God condemns. We also urge pro-life believers in Europe and around the world to boldly stand for the unborn. True freedom is not the right to destroy life but the grace to cherish and protect it.
If you like this article and other content that helps you apply a biblical worldview to today’s politics and culture, consider making a donation here.
