Exporting Abortion is a cross-border journalistic investigation, coordinated by Público (Spain), on abortion access in Europe, conducted by journalists from across the continent and published by 11 media outlets. The investigation quantifies, for the first time, how, despite the progress made in the attainment of this right, thousands of women across Europe are forced to cross the borders of their home countries to access an abortion.
Over 5,000 women in Europe have to travel abroad for abortions each year
Thousands of women across Europe are forced to cross the borders of their home countries to access an abortion. The reasons: the legal, bureaucratic, and social obstacles they continue to face when seeking to terminate their pregnancies.
Opacity in European abortion data: countries without statistics and foreigners whose origins are unknown
Each EU Member State collects and processes abortion data in its own way, and at least eight of them don’t know how many non-resident women are having abortions in their country. The European Commission does not set uniform standards and claims it has no information on women travelling abroad to have an abortion.
National publications:
OKO.press (Poland)
17.04.2025
Abortion in Europe: What do the official statistics say?
Each EU Member State collects and processes abortion data in its own way. The European Commission does not set uniform standards and claims to have no information on women who travel abroad to terminate their pregnancies.
Expresso (Portugal)
17.04.2025
In five years, almost 3,000 women have travelled from Portugal to Spain for abortions: ‘every door you knock on closes’
Official figures from the Spanish Ministry of Health reveal that in 2023 there were 668 women who crossed the border to have an IVG.
Público (Spain)
15.04.2025
Every year 1,500 Europeans travel to Spain for an abortion: ‘It's too hard to do it miles away from home’.
Every year, Spain receives hundreds of foreign women who come to our country to have an abortion. Normally due to more restrictive laws in their places of origin. Portuguese, French, Andorran and Italian women are the ones who come the most.
Expresso (Portugal)
14.04.2025
Investigation: at least eight European countries, including Portugal, don't know how many non-resident women have abortions on their territory
There are no harmonised criteria in Europe for collecting data.
Taz (Germany)
13.04.2025
Abortions across borders
Women often have to travel long distances for abortions – due to the political situation, complicated procedures or poor care.
Mediapart (France)
11.04.2025
European data on abortion are still opaque
Some EU Member States do not know how many foreign women seek abortions in their territory. The European Commission, for its part, does not set uniform standards and has no data on the issue. Third and final part of the research ‘Exporting Abortion’.
Publico (Spain)
10.04.2025
Opacity in European abortion data: countries without statistics and foreigners without provenance
The European Commission claims to have no information on women who travel abroad for abortions.
Denník N (Slovakia)
09.04.2025
Women's experience with abortion: one had people praying under her window, the other had to travel across Slovakia for the procedure
Lucia was preparing to give birth in 2011. She exercised, was in good physical condition and emotionally She also had a birth plan written down.
Mediapart (France)
09.04.2025
The Netherlands and Spain: two favourite abortion destinations for French women
According to the international survey ‘Exporting Abortion’, between 2019 and 2023, more than 5,000 women living in France will cross the border to terminate their pregnancy. A path strewn with obstacles and costly.
The Journal (Ireland)
08.04.2025
'I'll never forgive my country': Women on the trauma of having to travel to UK for terminations
“We brought our baby’s body back in our carry-on luggage, surrounded by frozen vegetables,” one woman told us.
Page not found (Czech Rep.)
08.04.2025
More than 5,000 women in Europe have to travel abroad for abortions each year, unique data from European newsrooms shows
The international Exporting Abortion project provides the first-ever mapping of the fact that, despite advances in achieving abortion rights, thousands of women in Europe are forced to travel outside their home countries to have abortions.
The Journal (Ireland)
08.04.2025
'The most vulnerable are still being exported': Why and how women have to travel for abortions
Hundreds of women travel from Ireland to the UK every year for terminations.
Altaveu (Andorra)
07.04.2025
More than 5,000 European women have to travel abroad every year for abortions
The international research Exporting Abortion quantifies for the first time how, despite the progress made in achieving this right, thousands of European women are forced to cross the borders of their countries of origin in order to access abortion.
Amphora Media (Malta)
07.04.2025
Spain Overtakes ‘Classic’ UK As A Leading Abortion Destination For Maltese Residents
The United Kingdom is no longer the primary destination for Maltese residents seeking abortions abroad.
Amphora Media (Malta)
07.04.2025
Alone, Constant Fear of Being Caught: Over 2,000 Self-Managed Abortions in Malta in Last Five Years
“I remember sitting on the edge of the bathtub, Googling ‘abortion in Malta,’ then panicking, thinking they were going to trace my search back to my IP address… Imma paranojja ridikula. Well, it’s not ridiculous because it’s not unrealistic…»
Moment (Austria)
07.04.2025
From Bratislava to Vienna: Why thousands of women in Europe have to travel for their rights
Thousands of women in Europe have to travel across borders to obtain a medical service: an abortion, according to this new research. The different laws and rights make it necessary. Austria is a special case when it comes to abortion in Europe.
The Journal (Ireland)
07.04.2025
Over 5,000 women in Europe have to travel abroad for abortions each year
Legal, bureaucratic and social obstacles are still faced by women, even if they live in countries where abortion is legalised.
Denník N (Slovakia)
07.04.2025
After the unwanted pregnancy, Tána knew immediately that she would travel abroad for the abortion
If Slovak women decide to have an abortion abroad, they most often go to Austria because it is legal to terminate a pregnancy with pills there. Denník N was part of an international investigation and helped map how women in Europe travel for abortions.
Público (Spain)
07.04.2025
More than 5,000 women in Europe have to travel to another country every year for an abortion
The international research “Exporting Abortion” quantifies, for the first time, how, despite advances in the recognition of this right, thousands of women across Europe are forced to cross the borders of the country in which they live to access abortion.
Mediapart (France)
07.04.2025
More than 5,000 European women have to travel abroad each year to have an abortion
The international survey ‘Exporting Abortion’ quantifies for the first time how, despite progress on the issue, thousands of women across Europe are forced to cross the borders of their home countries to access abortion.
Expresso (Portugal)
07.04.2025
Investigation: more than 5,000 women cross borders in Europe to have abortions, Portugal has the second largest flow
Between 2019 and 2023, at least 27,238 women across Europe had to go to another country for an IVG. The Portugal-Spain trajectory is the second highest on record.
OKO.press (Poland)
07.04.2025
Every year, more than 5,000 women in Europe travel abroad for abortions.
International research Exporting Abortion shows that although the law in Europe is changing, thousands of women are forced to travel to another country to terminate their pregnancies. The reason is legal, bureaucratic and social obstacles.
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