Far-right MEPs hijack health debate on endometriosis

A push from the far right in the European Parliament to increase EU funding for endometriosis research has put the spotlight on a common women’s health issue, while amplifying the party's pro-family message.

German far-right MEP Tomasz Froelich, of the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) group, placed the condition, which affects an estimated 10–15% of women, on Thursday's parliamentary agenda. The instance illustrates how the group sometimes uses women's health topics, such as infertility potentially tied to endometriosis, to push its own agenda.

The disease causes tissue similar to the uterine lining to grow outside the uterus, potentially leading to inflammation, adhesions, and damage to the uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes. Many affected experience debilitating pain during menstruation.

Froelich called for endometriosis to be given far greater priority in EU health funding.

"Many women wish to become mothers, but endometriosis prevents them from doing so," he said during the plenary debate, adding that, as a "proud" father, there is nothing "finer" than "having children".

Speaking to Euractiv ahead of the debate, Froelich described infertility as "a particular problem in times of demographic imbalance," citing the "gradual" decline in birth rates and the "many problems" that come with it.

Thursday’s agenda item follows up on earlier efforts by the far right to get the European Commission to funnel more funding into endometriosis research.

Concern about the next generation

The far right’s focus on infertility ties into longstanding ideological narratives.

According to a report by Lower Saxony's interior ministry on right-wing extremism, "men are responsible for providing for and defending the community, while women's primary role is to bear and raise children".

By putting endometriosis on the agenda and framing it around fertility, critics argue the far right is seeking to reframe a women's health issue in demographic terms.

Endometriosis has gained increasing public attention in recent years, driven by social media awareness campaigns and public testimonies from women. It has also entered popular culture, especially with Sally Rooney’s bestseller "Conversations with Friends", in which the heroine suffers from it. Often dismissed or misdiagnosed, endometriosis has become emblematic of broader concerns about misogyny in healthcare.

Scientifically, it remains difficult to quantify how often endometriosis causes infertility due to the wide variability of the condition, said Tanja Fehm, Director of the Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics at Düsseldorf University Hospital.

Fehm also pointed to studies indicating that around 30–50% of women with endometriosis have difficulty conceiving. However, she notes: "This does not mean that pregnancy is impossible".

Not accidental

The far right’s increased focus on health issues is not accidental.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, parties from the Identity and Democracy (ID), ECR, and Patriots for Europe (PfE) groups have consistently used health topics to amplify visibility. Since the start of the 2024 term, PfE and ESN MEPs have submitted around 77 written health-related questions to the Commission, despite lacking formal representation on the European Parliament’s health (SANT) committee.

Thursday’s agenda item follows a motion for a resolution on underinvestment in endometriosis research, along with written questions directed at the Commission.

The resolution was co-signed by MEPs from all three far-right groups (ECR, PfE, and ESN) – and one liberal: Renew MEP Stine Bosse, who did not take part in the debate.

Asked by Euractiv about the joint effort, Bosse’s office said she “doesn't really care about who's signing or not if she agrees on the theme, and endometriosis is really a problem”.  

Nicolai von Ondarza, head of the EU research division at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), called the cross-party support "astonishing", but suggested it may be more about visibility than legislative impact.

Still, he added, the resolution is non-binding, and its chances of winning a majority in Parliament are slim.

(bms, de)