Italy lags in Europe in terms of
safeguarding the health of women choosing to terminate unwanted
pregnancies, the Association of Italian Gynecologists in Favor
of the Application of the 194 Law (LAIGA) said Tuesday.
The landmark so-called 194 law of 1978 legalized abortion
within the first 90 days of pregnancy in Italy.
LAIGA said an average of 70% of doctors in the heavily
Catholic country refuse to terminate pregnancies by claiming to
be conscientious objectors on religious grounds, with peaks of
80-90% in eight of Italy's 20 regions.
Health ministry data shows just 60% of Italy's hospitals
offer abortion services, which should be available to everyone
by law.
"This means we're almost at the levels of countries in which
abortion is banned, such as Ireland and Poland," said LAIGA
President Silvana Agatone.
"We're light years from countries like France, where
conscientious objection is at 7%, or Scandinavian countries
where conscientious objection doesn't exist".
"These numbers mean the health, and sometimes the lives, of
women are at risk," said Christian Fiala, a past president of
the International Abortion and Contraception Federation
(FIAPAC).
"Objectors shouldn't work on wards where abortions are
carried out".
"The problem is that conscientious objectors aren't just
gynecologists, but also anesthetists, operation room staffers,
nurses who refuse to insert a needle - even pharmacists," said
Loredana Taddei, who is in charge of gender policies at CGIL
trade union federation.
Few are aware, however, that conscientious objection for pre-
and post-abortion procedures is illegal, Magistrate Aniello
Nappi pointed out.
"It's important... not to allow forms of boycott that could
drive women to resort to clandestine abortions," Nappi said.
To remedy this situation, LAIGA is calling for every province
to have at least one hospital offering abortion services, and a
conscientious objector registry for every facility "so women can
have previous access to the information on who will be treating
them".
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