I never thought we were still at this point on the right to abortion ...
On February 1st, women from all over Europe mobilized to participate in the protests against the reform of the Spanish law on abortion. The Spanish Minister of Justice, Alberto Ruiz Gallardòn, in fact expressed the "intention to change the concept behind the" voluntary interruption of pregnancy, that is, the woman's free choice, allowing abortion only in two cases: sexual violence or serious risk to the woman's health.
And so, in one fell swoop, a right that I believed women had acquired for some time is called into question, for the umpteenth time, by a European country that would like to be at the forefront of civil life.
In Italy, the voluntary termination of pregnancy (IVG) has been legal only since 1978, after the demonstrative actions of many militants, such as the Italian Radicals. In 1975, in fact, the secretary of the Radical Party, Gianfranco Spadaccia, was arrested together with Adele Faccio and Emma Bonino for having reported themselves to the police authorities for having practiced abortions, then clandestine. A "demonstrative action with a strong impact, which triggered a heated debate, in a Catholic and traditional country, as well as very male chauvinist, like Italy.
In 1978, therefore, came a law on the "IVG, the famous law no. 194, which established that a woman could voluntarily and freely resort to abortion within the first 90 days, while in the fourth and fifth month the interruption was allowed only for reasons of health concerning the woman or the child.The law is still in force, but often Italian women and men have had to intervene to defend it from the attempts of reform, as we have told you in this article.
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In addition to these threats of reform, which tend to colonize once again the female body and will by means of state laws, there is a much more subtle and insidious form of limitation of freedom, and that of conscientious objection of doctors who should perform abortions. In fact, it has been calculated that 68% of Italian doctors refuse to practice voluntary abortions, using the instrument of conscientious objection, effectively limiting those freedoms guaranteed by law 194, and making abortion more difficult to obtain.
The thing that struck me most was the percentage of objecting doctors in the center-south: between 80 and 85%! A huge percentage, perhaps also at the basis of the decrease in the number of abortions between 2011 and 2012, according to the data of the Annual Report of the Ministry of Health on Law 194.
A last interesting case concerning Italy (and beyond) was that of a discussion in the European Parliament, which rejected by a majority the right to "safe and legal" abortion throughout Europe.The reason for the dispute was, among other things, the possibility of obtaining an abortion for girls under 18 without parental consent (also necessary in Italy for minors). With the rejection, however, other voices of the law also jumped, which established criteria for sexual education and prevention. A step back in the "Europe of community rights.
The steps back in the right to abortion
In addition to Spain, here are other cases of backtracking on abortion by countries considered to be at the forefront:
1. In the United States, the House of Representatives has approved a measure to encourage health insurers to stop paying reimbursements for abortions.
2. In France, 40,000 people demonstrated against the 1975 law on the IVG, arousing concern for the liberal forces in a country considered to be at the forefront of secularism and rights.
EU countries that deny the right to voluntary abortion
1. In Poland abortion has been illegal since 1997, despite being a member of the European Union since 2004. About 100,000 clandestine abortions are practiced every year.
2. In Ireland, abortion is only permitted if the pregnancy poses a threat to a woman's health.
3. Malta And Cyprus they authorize abortions only in case of threats to the health of the woman, pregnancy as a result of sexual violence and malformations of the fetus.
EU countries that have legislated late on abortion
1. Belgium officially legalized voluntary abortion only in 1990, previously it was only "tolerated".
2. Portugal legalized abortion by the tenth week of pregnancy only in 2007.
