In November 2023, Luxembourg’s national ethics committee was tasked with evaluating two key abortion policy questions: whether the legal time limit for abortion should be extended from 12 to 14 weeks, and whether the mandatory three-day reflection period before the procedure should be abolished. This request came between the October 2023 elections and the formation of the new government.
The committee’s final report, delayed until recently, provided a nuanced perspective. While the government has drafted legislation to remove the three-day reflection period, aligning with the committee’s recommendations, it has decided against extending the abortion cutoff period to 14 weeks.
Health Minister Martine Deprez confirmed the decision in parliament, citing insufficient support from the ethics committee’s report to justify extending the time limit. The issue is also not part of the coalition government’s policy agenda.
The ethics committee raised ethical and legal concerns, questioning why 14 weeks was proposed instead of longer limits, such as 16 or 24 weeks, which are permitted in some countries. It also highlighted the potential for abortions based on gender, as fetal gender can often be detected between 12 and 14 weeks. The Luxembourg Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics also opposes the extension.
The debate gains significance in light of developments in neighboring France, where abortion rights were recently enshrined in the constitution, and the time limit extended to 14 weeks. Other countries have varying limits: 24 weeks in the Netherlands, 23 weeks and six days in the UK, and 12 weeks in Germany and Belgium, similar to Luxembourg.
While the removal of the three-day reflection period signals a step toward simplifying abortion access, Luxembourg’s 12-week time limit remains unchanged, reflecting the complex moral, legal, and ethical considerations surrounding the issue.

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