|
Council of Europe raps Italy over difficulty in obtaining abortions
Send a link to a friend
[April 12, 2016]
ROME (Reuters) - Women's rights are
being violated in Italy by the serious difficulties they face in trying
to obtain safe abortions due to many doctors refusing to carry out the
procedure, the Council of Europe said on Monday.
|
|
 Terminating pregnancies has been legal in Italy since 1978, but the
council's social rights committee found that the situation in Italy
violated both the women's right to protection of health and the
doctors' right to dignity at work.
In a significant number of Italian hospitals, even if a gynecology
unit exists, there are no or very few doctors who do not object to
performing abortions, the committee said.
Women seeking an abortion are sometimes forced to go elsewhere in
Italy or abroad, or bypass the authorities to get a termination.
"These situations may involve considerable risks for the health and
well-being of the women concerned, which is contrary to the right to
the protection of health," the committee said.
The Council of Europe's review of the case stemmed from a complaint
by the CGIL, Italy's biggest union, which said a growing rate of
conscientious objection among doctors has made it extremely
difficult for some women to get access to the procedure.
The CGIL says the Health Ministry drastically underestimates the
number of illegal abortions carried out in Italy, which the union
says could be as high as 50,000 a year.
The government says about 70 percent of gynecologists are
conscientious objectors.
[to top of second column] |
Responding to Monday's ruling, the health ministry said the
committee did not take into account the most recent data on the
matter, and that abortions were carried out in 60 percent of the
country's health facilities.
Italy will now be able to respond formally to the Council of
Europe's decision, and the council will continue to monitor the
situation in Italy, according to a spokesman.
(Reporting by Isla Binnie, additional reporting by Steve Scherer;
Editing by Hugh Lawson)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
