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Petra De Sutter

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Petra De Sutter
Member of the European Parliament
for Belgium
Incumbent
Assumed office
2019
Member of the Belgian Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office
June 2014
Personal details
Born10 June 1963 (1963-06-10) (age 61)[1]
Oudenaarde, Belgium
Political partyGreen
Websitewww.petradesutter.be

Petra De Sutter (Oudenaarde, 10 June 1963) is a Belgian gynaecologist and politician of the Green party who has been a Member of the European Parliament since 2019. She previously worked as professor of gynaecology at Ghent University, head of the Department of Reproductive Medicine at Ghent University Hospital (UZ Gent).[1][2]

Political career

Member of the Senate, 2014–2019

In the 2014 European elections, De Sutter was second on the list for the Flemish Green party. However, while the party gained votes, it missed its hold on an additional second seat. She was subsequently co-opted by her party for a seat in the Belgian Senate [2]. As a trans woman[1], she became the first openly transgender Belgian to be on a party election list.[3]

In addition to her role in the Senate, De Sutter served as member of the Belgian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe from 2014 until 2019. As member of the Socialists, Democrats and Greens Group, she was a member of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons; the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs; the Sub-Committee on Integration; the Sub-Committee on Public Health and Sustainable Development; and the Sub-Committee on Ethics. She served as the Assembly’s rapporteur on children’s rights in relation to surrogacy arrangements (2016);[4] on the use of new genetic technologies in human beings (2017);[5] and on the conditions of reception of refugees and migrants (2018).[6]

Since her political debut, De Sutter has tackled important issues: a regulation for surrogacy at a Belgian and European level, independent clinical research in the pharmaceutical industry, the risks of TTIP for consumer’s protection of food and chemicals, and standing up for rights for LGBT people [7].[citation needed]

Member of the European Parliament, 2019–present

Petra De Sutter presenting herself in a video produced by Heinrich Böll Foundation/Green European Foundation.

On 15 September 2018 it was announced De Sutter was seeking nomination as one of the European Greens two lead candidates for the 2019 European Parliament elections, which eventually fell down to the Dutch Bas Eickhout and the German Ska Keller.[8] Since joining the Parliament, she has been chairing the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection; she is the first Green politician in this position.[9] In 2020, she also joined the Special Committee on Beating Cancer.[10]

In addition to her committee assignments, De Sutter is part of the Parliament's delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka). She is also a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights[11] and co-chairs the MEPs Against Cancer group.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c Petra De Sutter, Elke Lahousse, (Over)leven: mijn strijd als transvrouw arts & politica (2016, ISBN 946041513X)
  2. ^ a b Professor Petra De Sutter aangeduid als gecoöpteerd senator voor Groen, 21 June 2014, Het Laatste Nieuws
  3. ^ "Petra De Sutter is eerste transgender op kieslijst". Het Nieuwsblad (in Flemish). Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  4. ^ Surrogacy: governments should consider drawing up guidelines to safeguard children’s rights, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, press release of September 21, 2016.
  5. ^ Petra De Sutter: “High time for a debate on new genetic technologies” Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, press release of August 3, 2017.
  6. ^ More efforts needed for refugees’ reception on Greek islands Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, press release of July 13, 2018.
  7. ^ "'Wij willen niet getolereerd worden, wij willen respect'". Site-Knack-NL. 2015-05-16. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  8. ^ European Greens - Support phase Leading Candidates
  9. ^ Maïa de La Baume (January 13, 2020), 20 MEPs to watch in 2020 Politico Europe.
  10. ^ Members of the Special Committee on Beating Cancer European Parliament, press release of July 9, 2020.
  11. ^ Members European Parliament Intergroup on LGBTI Rights.
  12. ^ MAC MEPs in the 2019-24 legislature MEPs Against Cancer.
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