The G7 summit in Italy focused on artificial intelligence, global economy, security and defence, and ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza. However, the official G7 declaration made public on June 13 did not include references to abortion rights and LGBTQ issues. Italy’s far-right government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, denied allegations that these references were deliberately omitted. Notably, both topics were included in the G7 declaration during the previous summit in Japan last year.
In the recent declaration, there was no mention of protection for the ‘gender identity and sexual orientation’ of the LGBTQ community, and the word ‘abortion’ was left out as well. Despite the absence of direct references to abortion, the commitment was made to universal access to healthcare services for women, including sexual and reproductive health rights.
Last year, the G7 leaders had pledged support for ‘access to safe and legal abortion’ as part of women’s healthcare in Japan. The removal of LGBTQ rights and abortion references was first reported by Bloomberg, linking it to the involvement of Pope Francis in the summit. Italy’s stance was refuted by French President Emmanuel Macron, who expressed concern over the dilution of safe abortion access language in the final G7 statement. Macron highlighted differing views on gender equality between countries, emphasizing France’s commitment to equality.
