G7 leaders had plenty to discuss at their annual meeting in Italy. Two major wars, in Gaza and Ukraine. A big loan for Ukraine. And then there was the right to abortion.
Officials familiar with discussions over the Group of 7’s final communiqué — essentially a statement that all leaders agreed on — say the language on reproductive rights boils down to a diplomatic tug-of-war, primarily between states. United States and Italy, host of the meeting.
Several officials say the debate centered on a request from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni not to include the words “abortion” and “reproductive rights” in the declaration. The Italian government has denied that it intends to renege on its commitment to protecting access to safe abortions.
When informed of Ms. Meloni’s position, U.S. officials said President Biden backed away, wanting an explicit reference to reproductive rights and at least a reaffirmation of support for abortion rights contained in the statement. Last year. Several other G7 members agreed with Mr. Biden, according to U.S. and European officials familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss delicate negotiations.
Ultimately, the word “abortion” does not appear in the communiqué, but it refers to last year’s final declaration from the G7 summit in Japan, saying: “We reiterate our commitments in the leaders’ communiqué of Hiroshima for universal access to adequate care, affordable and quality health services for women, including comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights for all.
The Hiroshima Declaration specifically included “the issue of access to safe and legal abortion and post-abortion care.”
For Mr. Biden, a Catholic, the issue has long been a personally and politically sensitive one. But he became more forceful in his defense of abortion rights following the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court in 2022. By striking down the constitutional right to abortion, the Court’s decision led to a wave of restrictions on abortion in more countries. more than 20 states.
Mr. Biden sharply criticized the court’s decision and used it to galvanize major voting blocs as he seeks re-election.
For Ms. Meloni, analysts say, taking a stance on abortion was an attempt to please part of her conservative base and perhaps also Pope Francis, who attended the summit at her invitation to discuss the effects of abortion. artificial intelligence. It also fits well with his general way of governing.
She tends to stick to her conservative beliefs when waging culture wars at home, while taking a pro-Western stance when dealing with international issues. For example, she strongly supports Western support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
“She has taken dominant positions on things that matter” on the international stage, said Roberto D’Alimonte, an Italian political scientist. Being conservative on abortion “costs him nothing” abroad but appeals to some of his voters at home, he said.
When Mr. Biden learned from his team last week that reproductive rights might not be included in the communiqué, he asked his team not to let that happen, U.S. officials familiar with the discussions said, or else he would not sign the document. .
In a statement sent to news agencies on Thursday, Meloni said she was not seeking to roll back guarantees of safe and legal abortions but that “in order not to be repetitive”, the summit’s final statements could refer only to to previous press releases. .
Asked about numerous media reports that she would seek to keep “abortion” out of the statement, Ms. Meloni said Friday ahead of a bilateral meeting with Mr. Biden: “I am not aware of any intention to discuss this subject. I can tell you that the G7 communiqué will be adopted by consensus by all G7 countries.
Asked Thursday by an Italian journalist about the deletion of the text supporting the right to abortion, French President Emmanuel Macron – who faces the far right in snap elections in just two weeks – said he “regretted” this decision.
“You know France’s position,” Mr. Macron said. “France has enshrined in its Constitution the right of women to abortion and the freedom to control their own bodies.”
“Your country no longer has the same feelings today,” he said.
In her statement on Thursday, Ms Meloni said it was “profoundly wrong” to “use a forum as valuable as the G7 for electioneering”. She did not specify who she was referring to.
A senior European Union official said in an interview that the EU defended using the full language of the Hiroshima communiqué, including language on abortion rights. But, he added, the leaders failed to agree, ultimately leading to a reference to support for sexual and reproductive rights, but not an explicit allusion to abortion.
The final communiqué reflects previous statements at the G7 in Hiroshima, such as the 2021 statement which more broadly supported “sexual and reproductive health”.
On a more personal level, Mr. Biden and Ms. Meloni appear to have enjoyed warm relations since his election despite their divergent positions on social issues.
While Mr. Biden expressed his concern in 2022 about his far-right policies, the two leaders demonstrates a strong alliance on Ukraine. During his last visit to the White House in March, Mr. Biden said the two agreed that “we have each other’s backs,” and he kissed her on the forehead.
Although she has expressed anti-abortion sentiments, Ms. Meloni has promised not to repeal Italy’s abortion law, which legalizes it and is generally uncontested in the country. But she has tried to please his conservative base without making disruptive changes, emphasizing abortion “prevention” in legislation passed in April and pledging to do everything it can “to help a woman who thinks abortion is the only way.”
The 1978 Italian law that legalized abortion was also intended to help women avoid terminating their pregnancies due to economic, social or family difficulties, and Ms Meloni said part of the law was not sufficiently applied. Critics of the new law, introduced by Ms. Meloni’s party, say they fear it will encourage anti-abortion groups to campaign within family counseling centers.
Ms Meloni also pledged to make surrogacy a universal crime. It’s already illegal in Italy, but under the proposal surrogacy could be punished even if it takes place abroad.
On Friday, some supporters of abortion rights in Italy spoke out against removing the word from the final communiqué.
“It is a shame to place our country at the level of the most dubious regimes,” said Laura Boldrini, an MP from the Italian Democratic Party. written the.
Others expressed support, or at least understanding, of Ms. Meloni’s position.
“She did well,” said Giorgio Celsi, an anti-abortion activist in Besana, a town in northern Italy. Ms. Meloni’s party “has pro-life voters,” he said. “She must take this into account.”
Steven Erlanger contributed reporting from Bari, Italy, and Aurélien Breeden from Paris.
