Dutch queen tries to convince Texas governor of importance abortion

In the conversation with the Texas governor, Greg Abbot, the Dutch delegation emphasised the importance of women's self-determination – a term regularly used by the pro-choice movement, the Dutch broadcaster NOS reports. Máxima addressed the Texan women the same as she would others: "Women have to take their chances."

The Dutch royalties are expected to be reluctant about political issues. It’s the government that is responsible, not the King, says the constitution.

Last year, the Texan government introduced one of the strictest abortion laws, under which health care workers can get a life sentence for ending a pregnancy which has gestated further than six weeks.

On the other side, the Netherlands is one of the countries that have openly pro-choice-oriented legislation. Recently, the Dutch Parliament worried about states that limited their abortion legislation. That was reported by the Reformatorisch Dagblad. Foreign minister Hoekstra stated that "the EU should leap forward as the United States is going backwards". With that, he referred to the ruling of the American Supreme Court that removed abortion as a right. Furthermore, Hoekstra –although a Christian democrat– promised to look into the possibilities of making abortion a constitutional right in the European Union.

"We talked about how important the Netherlands finds the right to a safe abortion", the Dutch minister of foreign trade, Liesje Schreinemacher, from the Liberal VVD, tweeted after Máxima's visit to the United States, at which she was also present. During that visit, she told the Texas governor that the Netherlands is willing to cooperate in preventing unwanted pregnancies, as reported by NL Times.

Governor Abbott responded briefly to Schreinemacher's question about the abortion legislation in Texas: "We attach importance to the safety and health of the mother, but also to the safety and health of the baby."