A Brussels-based trans man has had a crowd-funded abortion in the Netherlands after being refused an abortion in Belgium.
The 22-year-old trans man, who came to Belgium from Portugal in search of a better life, had to cross the border because he was more than 12 weeks pregnant, which is normally the limit for pregnancy termination in Belgium.
Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad reported that the unnamed trans man was taking testosterone in order to complete the transition from female to male. He had moved from Portugal to Belgium because he wanted job security and a more LGBT-friendly environment.
He started to take testosterone in 2020, the newspaper reported, though didn’t complete his course of medication as prescribed. After having his breasts removed he wanted to have a genital operation, but delayed on the grounds that the science was not yet sufficiently advanced. He is reportedly “in a loving relationship” with a non-binary partner.
A few weeks ago, the trans man, given the fictitious name Tomás in Het Nieuwsblad, started to feel nauseous. Knowing he had not been taking hormones as he was supposed to, he then realised he was pregnant. “I feel like a man, the world sees me as a man. That something grew inside me [and] gave me extreme gender dysphoria.”
In Belgium, abortion is allowed up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. Tomás was just past that. In the Netherlands, termination of pregnancy is possible up to 24 weeks. “That came at a cost of about 1,000 euros in my case,” he told the newspaper. He didn’t have that amount of money, so he started a fundraising campaign through GoFundMe. With success. “The solidarity was heartwarming,” he said. The abortion took place last week in Utrecht.
Experts told Het Nieuwsblad that testosterone treatment does not count as contraception. Once pregnant, testosterone also poses a risk to the foetus. Tomás said he hoped his story can help garner support to other people in his situation. He said he is relieved and happy to be able to be himself again.
Differences in abortion legislation between the Netherlands and Belgium led to 371 Belgian women crossing the border in 2021.
