EU Parliament approves sweeping plan to close gender gaps in health care

The European Parliament has formally endorsed a detailed report aimed at eliminating long-standing gender disparities in health care across the bloc. Spearheaded by Irish MEP Billy Kelleher and the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, the resolution passed with 390 votes supporting it, 218 opposing and 29 abstaining, reflecting broad backing from the S&D, Renew Europe and Greens/EFA groups. It calls for compulsory gender-sensitive research designs, expanded inclusion of women—including pregnant and breastfeeding individuals—in clinical trials, and systematic collection of sex-disaggregated data within the European Health Data Space.

The report notes that roughly 72% of drug studies fail to report such data and that only 5% of R&D funding was earmarked for women’s health in 2020. It urges the European Commission to allocate funds through Horizon Europe and the European Competitiveness Fund to address conditions such as endometriosis, menopause, cardiovascular disease and mental health. Additionally, the resolution backs the “My Voice, My Choice” citizens’ initiative and condemns practices like forced sterilisation and obstetric violence, while seeking to remove barriers for LGBTQI+ patients and vulnerable women.