Health equity under siege: the populist challenge to women’s health in Europe

Abstract

Full text

Women in Europe have unmet needs for many preventive health services, exemplified by cervical cancer, where death rates vary at least sevenfold [1]. Despite being largely preventable through vaccination for human papillomavirus (HPV) and screening, structural barriers leave many women, such as migrants, ethnic minorities, and those in precarious circumstances, without access to services [2]. What progress has been achieved in vaccination uptake among girls and boys [3], introduction of self-sampling, and HPV testing replacing labour-intensive cytology [4], is now threatened by populist rhetoric spreading from the United States [5].The second Trump administration’s assault on science primarily targets women’s health programmes domestically [6], but the 2025 US National Security Strategy[7] and statements by Donald Trump[8] and his Vice President[9] have emboldened similar narratives in Europe. They frame preventive programmes as ‘ideological’ or ‘foreign’, rewrite legislation, and cut funding streams that dare to mention terms like diversity, women, gender, inclusion or vaccine confidence. This stifles innovation, weakens institutional capacity, and perpetuates inequities.

Safeguarding women’s health requires resilience. This requires acceptance that screening is a core element of public health, funding being diversified beyond vulnerable national budgets, and coalitions being built to defend health equity as a democratic principle. Without proactive measures, populist obstruction risks reversing hard-won gains and excluding Europe’s most vulnerable women from essential preventive care. As researchers who have documented the structural barriers facing many European women, we can identify three specific risks and outline ways to mitigate them.

These risks demand urgent action, which we address through five imperatives.

Addressing unmet needs in women’s health in Europe requires more than technical fixes; it demands political resilience. Populist narratives, amplified by U.S. rhetoric, threaten progress by delegitimising gender-specific health initiatives and obstructing policy and funding. Embedding strategies such as coalition building, inclusive communication, diversified funding, and proactive policy engagement frames preventive programmes as universal public health imperatives. Anticipating and countering ideological challenges safeguards equity, protects vulnerable populations, and upholds access to preventive care as a fundamental right rather than a political bargaining chip.

Conflict of interest: The authors all undertake research to improve women’s health, which could be adversely affected by policies pursued by radical populist politicians.