Reactions and criticism continue after MP’s controversial abortion article

Schockmel, who is a doctor by training, voiced opposition to enshrining abortion as a constitutional right, a step that the governing CSV-DP coalition intends to take, following an initial proposal from The Left MP Marc Baum.

Asked about Schockmel’s comments, DP parliamentary group leader Gilles Baum said he would personally not have chosen to write the piece in the same way himself. However, he stated that Schockmel will not face any internal consequences within the party.

Gilles Baum continued: "Listen, for this bill, we confirmed that every MP is free to vote however they wish and we stand behind that, this was decided since the beginning. There are many different opinions, my opinion is that a large majority of the party will vote in favour of enshrining abortion as a constitutional right. Mr Schockmel has his own opinion, which he is entitled to".

When asked about how he believes Christian Social People's Party (CSV) MPs will vote, Baum said he was unsure.

Focus should be on prevention

DP MP Barbara Agostino has publicly distanced herself from the views expressed by her party colleague. She declined to further comment on his statements, saying it was now up to the party leadership to decide how to handle the matter. However, Agostino made clear she would not call for Schockmel’s exclusion from the party.

Agostino regrets that the wider debate had largely ignored the issue of prevention. Many young women, she said, undergo more than one abortion because they receive little or no proper education about sexuality. To change that, both schools and families should talk more openly about the topic, and politics also bears responsibility.

"To make sure that we reach those who we want to reach, us politicians, we need to take steps to go where the people are and talk about the different topics that need to be discussed. Take, for example, a big cleaning company, or Family Planning, we need to be on the ground and talk with people. We cannot expect people who are are perhaps from socially vulnerable backgrounds to make their way to a conference at 6.30pm in the evening at the Geesseknäppchen campus,” she said,

Better coordination is also needed between the health, family, and education ministries, she added. Abortion, Agostino stressed, should never be seen as an automatic response to pregnancy.

Family Planning criticises Schockmel's comments

Family Planning also reacted on Monday to Schockmel’s comments, in which the DP MP criticised feminism and abortion.

The organisation accused the MP of exploiting the legacy of Simone Veil to promote an anti-feminist narrative opposing women’s right to make decisions about their own bodies. The association argued that without feminism, debates about abortion rights might never have taken place.

The statement further read that publishing discriminatory opinions in Luxembourg’s largest daily newspaper was, in fact, proof that there is no censorship, contrary to what Schockmel had implied.

Condemning misogynistic or revisionist views does not amount to censorship, the organisation continued. Abortion rights, it said, are not an ideology but a fundamental right achieved through decades of democratic struggle. Family Planning reaffirmed its determination to see this right enshrined in the Constitution to prevent any future rollbacks.