The Coalition for Fertility has submitted its recommendations to EU Gender Equality Strategy, urging the European Commission to recognize fertility care as a core gender equality and human rights priority in the 2026–2030 framework. The group said reproductive autonomy must include the ability to pursue parenthood without stigma, exclusion, or financial barriers, noting that the freedom to build a family is central to equality and should not depend on personal resources or geographic location within the EU.

In its consultation response, the organization noted that EU gender equality policies have traditionally focused on safeguarding the right not to have children, while support for those who wish to build families remains insufficient. Infertility, defined by the World Health Organization as a disease of the reproductive system, affects around one in six people of reproductive age worldwide. According to the group, the omission of fertility treatment from health and equality policies reinforces structural discrimination and leaves significant gaps in care. Its recommendations to the EU gender equality strategy, therefore, emphasize the need to recognize fertility care as essential, rights-based healthcare that must be integrated into broader equality efforts.

The Coalition also called for universal and inclusive access to fertility treatment, expanded mental health support for those experiencing involuntary childlessness, and greater investment in fertility education and public information. It urged the Commission to apply a “fertility lens” across employment, housing, environmental, and healthcare policy areas, arguing that these factors directly shape people’s ability to form families and should be considered in future legislation. The submission further warns against coercive pronatalist rhetoric emerging in parts of Europe, stating that such narratives undermine autonomy and overlook the structural barriers preventing people from having children.

Through its recommendations to EU Gender Equality Strategy, the Coalition said the 2026–2030 agenda is an opportunity to align EU action with the Charter of Fundamental Rights, which recognizes the right to found a family. It urged the Commission to ensure publicly funded fertility services across the bloc, eliminate discriminatory laws, and recognize involuntary childlessness as both a public health and gender equality issue.