Christian party pushing for contraceptives on basic health insurance, to prevent abortions

Returning the contraceptive pill to the basic health insurance package could prevent abortions, according to a proposal ruling party ChristenUnie is submitting on Thursday. "It's quite strange that abortion is reimbursed, but that women have to pay for contraception," parliamentarian Carla Dik-Faber said in an interview with Trouw.

With this proposal, the Christian party seems to be changing its tune of last year, when it voted against a PvdA proposal to reverse the 2011 decision to make women over the 21 bear the costs of contraception themselves. 

"Bearing the costs yourself sometimes leads to unintended pregnancies. An awful lot of suffering can be prevented by reimbursing the pill,' Dik-Faber said. She is willing to work together with the progressive parties on this point, "even though the differences are big".

When it comes to abortion, ChristenUnie is still opposed to the progressive parties' ideas. Including the PvdA and GroenLinks bill making it possible for GPs to prescribe abortion pills. And the PvdA, GroenLinks and D66 proposal to abolish the mandatory reflection period for an abortion.