The constantly rising health insurance premiums are a heavy financial burden for many people in Switzerland.
According to a press release from the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), they will
increase by an average of 4.4 percent in 2026.
The Swiss Federal Council is implementing a cost containment program based on an expert report in order to curb
cost growth in the area of compulsory health insurance.
The aim is to reduce the burden on premium payers.
Following the "cost containment package 1" of 2019, the Swiss parliament adopted the "cost containment package
2" in spring 2025, which includes 16 further measures.
Various Swiss media then surprisingly reported in August 2025 that, as part of this decision, Parliament voted without
discussion that the costs of abortions in Switzerland should now be fully covered by health insurance from 2027.
"Free abortions" are currently only available in France, the Netherlands, Ireland and Denmark.
No one - not even the anti-abortion activists in parliament - seemed to have noticed what was hidden in the text of the law.
Until now, the woman has had to pay the annual deductible and the statutory deductible of 10% herself.
The annual deductible is a minimum annual amount - freely selectable between 300 and 2,500 Swiss
francs - that insured persons must pay themselves.
The costs of an abortion - between 700 francs for a medication abortion and 1,500 francs for a surgical abortion -
will have to be covered in full by health insurance from 2027.
An estimated 28 million francs in new costs are to be borne by the general public.
In Switzerland, a woman can decide on an abortion herself up to the 12th week of pregnancy.
Abortion is not punishable if the woman concerned claims a physical or psychological emergency in a
written request and obtains advice from a doctor.
In a press release dated September 1, 2025, the EDU Switzerland announced that it would resolutely oppose this federal decree:
"It is incomprehensible that the state covers all the costs of an abortion as if it were a medical procedure of such importance
that it deserves special treatment, while numerous vital operations such as heart or cancer
treatments are not fully reimbursed in some cases."
On September 25, 2025, EDU National Councillors Erich Vontobel and Andreas Gafner and other co-signatories submitted a
motion to the National Council to correct the wrong decision.
For example, a motion instructs the Federal Council to take a measure.
They demand: "The Federal Council is instructed to create the legal conditions to ensure that the co-payment and deductible are
retained for abortions where the mother's life is not directly threatened by the pregnancy for somatic (physical) reasons."
Reason: "As part of the 'cost containment package 2' of all things, Parliament decided in spring 2025 that
health insurance companies must cover all medical costs for pregnant women from the start of pregnancy.
This cost coverage was also extended to non-punishable abortions.
As this was unfortunately not taken into account in the relevant committees, the Council did
not explicitly discuss this far-reaching decision.
This means that abortions will be completely free in Switzerland for the first time from 2027.
Many people consider it an affront that this decision, which is a highly sensitive
socio-political issue, was taken without parliamentary debate.
It gives the impression that 'facts' have been created here through the back door.
It is also grossly misleading to make decisions as part of a package of cost-containment measures that will
place an additional financial burden on the public purse.
Parliament has thereby neglected its political responsibility and damaged its credibility.
In most cases, an abortion is not a medical necessity to protect the life of a pregnant
woman, but a conscious, very personal decision.
It makes sense to introduce full cost coverage in connection with miscarriages.
But extending cost coverage to all non-punitive abortions increases the risk that abortions - especially
those decided at short notice - will continue to increase.
In addition, the new regulation forces all insured persons, regardless of their personal
convictions, to co-finance abortions through their premiums.
This puts many people in a serious conflict of conscience.
However, the Federal Constitution guarantees freedom of faith and conscience (Art. 15 BV).
This is massively restricted by the mandatory collective financing of abortions.
Parliament has a duty to decide on such a fundamental change separately and transparently - and to create clear conditions
for questions of costs in the context of pregnancies."
The "March for Life" association also became active and launched the petition "No compulsion to
finance abortions through health insurance premiums".
Excerpt from the text: "The abolition of abortion franchises is dishonest, ideological and violates our conscience (...).
28 million francs in new costs are now being imposed on families who are deeply opposed to such financing.
This is neither democratic nor transparent legislation (...)."
The petition to the Federal Assembly can be signed by anyone - regardless of age, nationality or place of residence:
The question arises: has the Federal Council deliberately hidden its concerns in this comprehensive
package of measures in order to prevent a debate?
Did he want to sneak the ideologically motivated and cost-driving measures into the law?
A solidarity-based healthcare system should protect against unforeseeable and serious medical costs and
provide support for urgent treatment and complications.
But abortions cannot be understood as a normal medical service.
Abortion organizations such as "Planned Parenthood" and "Pro Familia" have their roots in eugenics and racial hygiene.
It is often not about the best possible solution for the pregnant woman and the unborn child, but about more and more abortions.
As early as 1991, the Ärzteblatt had pointed out the increasing demand for fetal cells for research and
medicine as well as the ethically questionable practices in their "extraction" through abortions.
The program "Abortions - Part of a Population Reduction Program" (www.kla.tv/27094) shows in detail by whom and
why abortions have been made socially acceptable and have become a lucrative business model.