The Italian law enabling, and disabling, abortion access

“We received complaints from women who had to listen to the beating heart of the fetus before being able to proceed with the termination of pregnancy,” says Silvana Agatone, of LAIGA, an association of gynaecologists that supports abortion rights.In Italy, abortion has been legal since 1978 and is recognised by the Constitutional Court as unalterable and binding in Law 194. The procedure is available for free in the first 90 days of pregnancy, with a seven day waiting period (after the first trimester, abortions are only permitted if the mother’s health is at risk or if the fetus has abnormalities).But in reality, accessing abortion is increasingly difficult in a majority Catholic country, with high numbers of medical staff refusing to carry out abortions.According to a 2020 Ministry of Health survey, 64.6% of Italy’s gynaecologists are conscientious objectors to abortion, a figure that soars to over 90% in parts of the…
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