MEPs in Strasbourg today voted in favour of a resolution proposing that "the formulation and implementation of policies on sexual and reproductive health and rights and on sex education in schools is a competence of the member states".

The resolution was adopted by with 334 votes in favour, 327 against and 35 abstentions.

The adoption of this resolution anticipated the vote on the Estrela Report on sexual and reproductive health that was on the agenda for a vote and hence eliminates the Estrela report through the application of the rules of the procedure of the European Parliament. These rules foresee that reports incompatible with an earlier report on the same subject matter are deemed to be voted against.

The Estrela Report proposed, among other things, that the European Parliament ''recommends that, as a human rights and public health concern, high-quality abortion services should be made legal, safe, and accessible to all within the public health systems of member states, including to non-resident women, who often seek these services in other countries because of restrictive abortion laws in their country of origin”.

The full Estrela report may be read here.

The alternative resolution to the Estrela Report on sexual and reproductive health was tabled at the last minute by the EPP and ECR groups.