A tense debate broke out at the G7, this time about abortion rights

G7 leaders have a lot to discuss – and disagree on – at their annual meeting in Italy. Two major wars in Gaza and Ukraine. A huge loan to Ukraine. And then there’s abortion rights.

Officials familiar with the negotiations on the Group of 7’s final communiqué — essentially the statement all the leaders agreed on — say that the language on reproductive rights stems from a diplomatic tug-of-war, mainly between the United States and Italy, host of the G7 group. meeting.

Several officials said the debate centered on a request by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy not to include the words “abortion” and “reproductive rights” in the declaration. The Italian government has denied that it intends to withdraw its commitment to protecting access to safe abortion.

US officials said that when learning about Ms. Meloni’s views, President Biden objected, wanted to clearly mention reproductive rights and at least reaffirmed his support for abortion rights from last year’s announcement. . Several other G7 members agreed with Mr. Biden, according to American and European officials familiar with the discussion, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the delicate negotiations.

Finally, the word “abortion” does not appear in the communiqué, but it does refer to last year’s final statement from the G7 summit in Japan, which said, “We reiterate our commitment in the Communiqué of Hiroshima leaders for universal access to affordable, quality health care for women, including comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights for all People.”

The Hiroshima Declaration specifically includes “addressing access to safe and legal abortion services and post-abortion care.”

For Mr. Biden, a Catholic, the issue has long been a personal and political thorn. But he became more vocal in his defense of abortion rights after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. In striking down the constitutional right to abortion, the court’s move led to a wave of abortion restrictions in more places. more than 20 states.

Mr. Biden has harshly criticized the court’s decision and used it to galvanize key voting blocs as he seeks re-election.

As for Meloni, analysts say, taking a stance on abortion is an attempt to please some segments of her conservative base and perhaps Pope Francis, who has participated. attended the summit at her invitation to discuss the impact of artificial intelligence. It also fits well with her general operating style.

She tends to maintain her conservative beliefs when waging domestic culture wars, while maintaining a pro-Western stance in dealing with international issues. For example, she is a strong supporter of Western support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

“She takes a leading position on important issues” on the international stage, said Roberto D’Alimonte, an Italian political scientist. Being conservative on abortion “costs her nothing” abroad, he said, but pleases some voters at home.

US officials familiar with the discussions said that when Mr. Biden learned from his staff that reproductive rights might not appear in the communiqué, he directed his team not to let that happen. out, otherwise he wouldn’t have signed the document. .

In a statement sent to news organizations on Thursday, Ms. Meloni said that she did not seek to back away from ensuring safe and legal abortion but that “so as not to repeat,” the concluding statements of The summit can only refer to previous communiqués.

Asked about multiple media reports that she was seeking to remove the issue of “abortion” from the joint communiqué, Ms. Meloni said on Friday before her bilateral meeting with Mr. Biden: “I I don’t know if I intend to discuss that topic. I can tell you that the G7 communiqué will be agreed upon by all G7 countries.”

Asked by an Italian reporter on Thursday about removing pro-abortion rights language, President Emmanuel Macron of France – who is facing the far right in a snap election in just two weeks – said he “regretted” it.

“You know the French position,” Mr. Macron said. “France has enshrined women’s right to abortion and freedom to control their own bodies in its Constitution.”

“Your country today no longer has such feelings,” he said.

In her statement on Thursday, Meloni said it was “deeply wrong” to use a precious forum like the G7 to conduct election campaigns. She did not say who she was referring to.

A senior European Union official said in an interview that the EU defended the use of all the language from the Hiroshima communiqué, including language on abortion rights. But, he said, the leaders were unable to agree, which ultimately led to a reference to support for sexual and reproductive rights rather than an explicit reference to abortion.

The final communiqué mirrors pre-Hiroshima G7 statements, like the 2021 statement advocating for “sexual and reproductive health” more broadly.

On a more personal level, Mr. Biden and Ms. Meloni appear to have enjoyed a warm relationship since her election despite their differing views on social issues.

While Mr. Biden expressed concern in 2022 about her far-right party politics, the two leaders were demonstrated a strong alliance about Ukraine. The last time she visited the White House In March, Mr. Biden said the two agreed that “we support each other” and he kissed her on the forehead.

Although she has expressed her opposition to abortion, Meloni has promised not to overturn Italy’s abortion law, which makes it legal and generally uncontested in the country. But she does trying to please her conservative base without making groundbreaking changes, emphasized “prevention” of abortion in the law passed in April and vowed to do whatever possible “to help a woman who thinks abortion Pregnancy is the only way.

Italy’s 1978 law legalizing abortion also emphasized helping women avoid terminating pregnancies because of economic, social or family difficulties, and Ms. Meloni said parts of the law were not fully applied. Critics of the new law introduced by Ms. Meloni’s party say they fear it could encourage anti-abortion groups to campaign in family counseling centers.

Ms. Meloni also vowed to make surrogacy a common crime. It is already illegal in Italy, but according to the proposal, surrogacy could be punishable even if it occurs abroad.

On Friday, some abortion rights advocates in Italy spoke out against the removal of the word from the final communiqué.

“It is shameful to put our country on the same level as the most questionable regimes,” said Laura Boldrini, a lawmaker with the Italian Democratic Party. wrote on X.

Others expressed support, or at least understanding, of Ms. Meloni’s point of view.

“She did very well,” said Giorgio Celsi, an anti-abortion activist in the northern Italian town of Besana. He said Ms Meloni’s party “has pro-life voters”. “She has to take that into account.”

Steven Erlanger Contributing reports from Bari, Italy, and Aurelien Breeden from Paris.