Petition urges Austrian student union to scrap abortion fund

More than 10,000 Austrian university students have signed a petition calling for the abolition of the so-called Repro Fund, a fund run by the Austrian National Union of Students that uses mandatory student fees to finance abortions. The initiative was organised by ProLife Europe in collaboration with the CitizenGo platform. The petition was submitted on March 11 to the authorities responsible for managing the fund, ETWN News reports.

According to the ÖH budget, about 18,000 euros have been allocated to the fund for the 2025 to 2026 academic year, and the student council plans to expand the programme in the future.

All students are required to contribute to the student organisation, and without payment they cannot register for the semester or take exams. The campaign organisers argue that such a system forces students to financially support abortions regardless of their personal or moral convictions.

ProLife Europe president Maria Czerninová said that more than 10,000 signatures represent significant mobilisation by Austrian standards. She added that while many students are not strictly pro-life, they disagree with using mandatory contributions to fund such a programme.

(mja)