Czech abortion rates hit record lows since Communist era as tensions over rights rise

Abortion numbers in Czechia have fallen to historic lows, but increasingly sharp political rhetoric and rival street demonstrations in Prague this weekend proved that growing tensions over reproductive rights remain.

Police and organizers said more than 4,000 people took part in the March for Life on Saturday, which began near Prague Castle and moved through the city center in smaller groups toward Wenceslas Square. Counter-protesters attempted to block parts of the route at several points, prompting repeated police intervention.

The march, organized by the Movement for Life, and a counter-demonstration under the banner Prague Is Feminist, remained largely separate, though they briefly converged in central areas, requiring police to maintain corridors between the groups.

Five people were detained during the day, police said, adding that there were several minor blockades and one incident in which a protester struck a police officer with a banner.

The protests took place against a long-term decline in abortions in Czechia. Data from the Czech Statistical Office show recorded abortions have fallen sharply since the end of the communist era, from 113,730 in 1988 to 15,088 in 2023. The rate has dropped from about 110 per 10,000 inhabitants to roughly 14 over the same period.

While the figures suggest a steady long-term easing of abortion rates, the political rhetoric surrounding the issue has remained highly charged.

Saturday’s demonstrations brought that tension to the forefront, with lawmakers’ comments increasingly drawing scrutiny amid broader European debates over reproductive rights.

Organizers of the counter-demonstration accused the Movement for Life of pursuing a broader anti-abortion agenda beyond its stated focus on supporting women with unplanned pregnancies.

They cited alleged internal email communications attributed to Movement for Life chairman Radim Ucháč and a TV interview in which he said, among other things, that pro-life means not only banning abortions, but also the issue of artificial insemination, the issue of human sexuality, and raising children. 

During the day, a comment by newly elected MP Josef Nerušil of the Freedom and Direct Democracy party (SPD) drew criticism from coalition colleagues and legal experts, who described it as discriminatory and potentially illegal under Czech and EU anti-discrimination law.

In a video shared on social media, Nerušil was seen speaking to counter-protesters, which included LGBTQ+ activists, saying: “I hope none of these diagnoses will have children, because your children would be of no benefit to our society.”

Nerušil told Seznam Zprávy he had not been addressing LGBTQ+ participants but members of a group he claimed films and monetises attacks on elderly residents. 

The weekend events also came amid a broader European debate on reproductive rights.

In February, the European Commission said member states could use EU funds to support access to abortion services, including covering travel costs in some cases, following a European Citizens’ Initiative, “My Voice, My Choice,” which gathered more than 1.2 million validated signatures and prompted a formal response from the Commission.

For advocates, it represented a meaningful, if incomplete, step forward, but for some women residing in Czechia, the incompleteness matters.

While abortion has been legal in Czechia since 1957 and access for citizens is generally straightforward in practice, a report by the Abortion Support Alliance Prague (ASAP) group revealed that access can be uneven for foreign nationals, due to administrative requirements, hospital-level policies, and differing interpretations of eligibility rules.

Saturday’s protests and the accompanying rhetoric serve as a reminder that legal rights do not always translate into practical access.

The administrative hurdles identified by advocacy groups suggest that for many women, a lack of legislative clarity leaves their healthcare access vulnerable to shifting political and bureaucratic interpretations.