Low turnout at Acció Feminista rally calling for free and accessible abortion
The group accuses the government of lacking the “will to decriminalise abortion”
A rally organised by Acció Feminista on Monday, 28 September, to demand freely accessible abortion at no cost in Andorra drew a low turnout.
Held to mark International Safe Abortion Day, the gathering brought together a small group of people and featured criticism of both the government and opposition politicians who support decriminalisation.
The event attracted limited public participation, despite the publicity surrounding the campaign. Those present included trade union representatives and journalists covering the rally.
During the gathering, Acció Feminista criticised the failure to remove criminal penalties for abortion through recent legislative reforms.
Així ha sigut la concentració feminista per exigir l’avortament lliure i gratuït a Andorra pic.twitter.com/sGJdUgP6Pk
— La Veu Lliure (@laveulliure) September 28, 2026
The group accused the government of lacking the “will to decriminalise abortion”, despite having introduced amendments to the Criminal Code.
Criticism of the government and opposition
The group called for recognition of abortion rights to translate into concrete action. Its demand remains freely accessible abortion at no cost, beyond political statements about future reform.
Criticism also targeted opposition politicians who support decriminalisation. Acció Feminista questioned why they had not taken the issue to the Constitutional Court, despite publicly backing legislative change.
Earlier this September, the group had already urged members of the General Council who opposed the Criminal Code reform to lodge a constitutional challenge over its continued criminalisation of abortion.
The debate over the co-principality
The protest comes amid a debate that the government has linked to preserving Andorra’s institutional system. Xavier Espot has supported removing criminal penalties for women while distinguishing that step from allowing abortions to be performed in Andorra, which he considers could trigger a crisis involving the episcopal co-prince.
Monday’s low turnout reflects the rally’s limited mobilisation, although it cannot, on its own, establish the majority view on abortion or the co-principality.
The 143 residents who had abortions in Catalonia and the role of SIAD
According to figures from the Catalan government’s Department of Health reported by RTVA, 143 women residing in Andorra had abortions in Catalonia in 2024. The figure refers to residents of the principality, regardless of nationality.
As La Veu Lliure has reported, there are no known cases of women being prosecuted in Andorra for having an abortion. However, the absence of prosecutions and the continued criminalisation criticised by Acció Feminista are separate issues.
Andorra also has the Servei Integral d’Atenció a la Dona (SIAD), a comprehensive women’s care service providing information and advice on sexual and reproductive health. According to the government, women enquiring about terminating a pregnancy receive information about their options and can access follow-up support. The service provides guidance and support but does not perform abortions in Andorra.