On March 1, Luxembourg became the second country in the world to embed the “freedom” to kill children in the womb by abortion into its national constitution. The first, France, voted to put abortion in its constitution in 2024 after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and declared that “abortion is not a constitutional right.”
Forty-eight of 60 members of the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies voted for abortion, with a mere six legislators voting against it, and two abstentions. The two-thirds majority necessary for a constitutional change was achieved.
In 2024, the leftist party déi Lénk (“The Left”) proposed the constitutional amendment, and a draft law was submitted in May 2025. The State Council of the Grand Duchy, which functions as the upper chamber, reviewed and approved the draft law in June.
The initial proposal prompted a fierce debate, with the Christian Social People’s Party objecting to abortion being referred to as a “right,” which would theoretically create a “duty” for the state to uphold; the majority parties compromised with the term “freedom,” which guaranteed the legality of abortion but allows for legal restrictions. A proposal to raise the abortion limit to 14 weeks of pregnancy and an amendment to guarantee a “right” to contraception were rejected.
Abortion is currently legal on demand in Luxembourg until 12 weeks (three months) of pregnancy; a mandatory three-day waiting period and a pre-abortion counseling session were abolished in July 2025. Abortions are permitted much later in pregnancy if the preborn child is judged to have a “fatal fetal abnormality.”
“We see throughout the world that women’s rights are in the firing line,” lawmaker Marc Baum claimed. “This vote in the chamber is historic. It’s also about what side of history we are on. It’s whether we are willing and capable to defend out democratic values.” For Baum and his political allies, the destruction of children in the womb is the right side of history – and abortion is a fundamental democratic value.
The Democratic Party, which has 14 lawmakers, permitted each of its members to vote their conscience, as did other parties.
“DP lawmaker Gérard Schockmel had opposed guaranteeing a right to abortion, saying it does not take into account the rights of the unborn child,” the Luxembourg Timesreported. “He also described the debate as being spurred by what he called ruthless feminist ideology.”
Luxembourg’s Christian Democrat CSV had previously decided to support the proposal, with speaker Laurent Zeimet on Tuesday saying the vote was for the people, reflecting changes in society and going with the times. His remarks came after criticism from right-wing MP Fred Keup, who had questioned the party’s conservative credentials during his speech.
Luxembourg is a constitutional monarchy, but the monarch – Grand Duke Guillaume V – has very little political power, in part due to his father’s opposition to euthanasia in 2008. After Grand Duke Henri refused to grant assent to the legalization of euthanasia, parliament voted to reduce the monarch’s powers to ensure that the royal signature would be a formality going forward.
