LONDON — Abortion rights opponents have long been stuck on the fringes of politics in much of Western Europe. The Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has many in the movement hoping that is about to change.

That abortion was thrust into the headlines has been a big step forward, said Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, a co-director of March for Life U.K., an annual event in September in London. “The fact it’s become a talking point is a massive step forward. Whatever anyone’s views are on abortion, it’s not helpful if we can’t talk about it” she said.

“What’s happened with the decision in the United States is it’s emboldened all the anti-choice actors around the world, including in Europe,” said Neil Datta, the secretary of the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual & Reproductive Rights, a network of European lawmakers who support reproductive rights across the continent.

“It’s not going to be an easy task for us to emulate what happened in the United States — but it shows that with patience, time, resilience and determination, by sticking to the truth of what we believe, that the message can get across to the general public and eventually have some political influence,”  said Kearney, a former president of the Catholic Medical Association in the U.K. “We’re a long way from that in this part of the world,” he added.

Overall, opponents of abortion rights are a small minority: The polling company YouGov found in June that 85% of British adults said yes to the question of whether women should have the right to an abortion, with just 5% saying no.

The Roe decision also had an impact on European countries where abortion is banned: Malta and the tiny mountainous country of Andorra, sandwiched between Spain and France. Poland bans abortions in almost all circumstances.

For real legislative change, the abortion rights opposition movement in Europe may have to follow the example of U.S. Christian conservatives by influencing and ultimately changing the makeup of countries’ judiciaries and political parties.

Source: www.nbcnews.com