Women’s rights denied: Abortion on the line as Italy’s far right eyes power

Issued on: 23/09/2022

Benjamin DODMAN

Italy’s surging far-right parties have been eroding abortion rights at the
regional level, adding further hurdles to what was already an obstacle course
for many women. With Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition tipped to win the
country’s general election on Sunday, there are fears the same policies could
be replicated at the national level.

When Silvia* was taken off the pill on medical grounds, her doctor did not
mention the possibility of using other contraceptive methods. When she ended up
with an unwanted pregnancy months later, the same doctor chose to ignore her
request for an abortion.

Continued: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20220923-women-s-rights-denied-abortion-on-the-line-as-italy-s-far-right-eyes-power


Abortion rights at risk in region led by party of Italy’s possible next PM

The Brothers of Italy has further impeded access to abortion in the Marche region – a policy it could replicate nationally if it wins power

Angela Giuffrida in Ascoli Piceno
Mon 22 Aug 2022

When Giulia, 20, discovered she was pregnant she immediately decided that she wasn’t ready to have a baby. Supported by her boyfriend and family, she sought medical advice in her home town in Italy’s central Marche region on how to obtain an abortion. She faced obstacles at every turn, from telephones not being answered and surgeries being closed, to one doctor who tried to persuade her to change her mind.

Abortion in Italy was legalised in 1978, overturning an outright ban enforced by the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini who deemed it a crime against the Italian race, but the high number of gynaecologists who refuse to terminate pregnancies for moral reasons – 64.6%, according to 2020 data – has meant women still encounter huge difficulties in accessing safe procedures.

Continued:   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/22/abortion-rights-at-risk-in-region-led-by-party-of-italys-possible-next-pm


The complicated state of abortion access in Italy

June 9, 2022
ADAM RANEY
4-Minute Listen, with Transcript

Abortion has been legal in Italy for more than 40 years. But most doctors refuse to perform them, making it difficult to find a provider. As in America, women in Italy fear this right will go away.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
An expected Supreme Court ruling on Roe v. Wade has many Americans comparing U.S. abortion laws to other countries. Abortion in Italy has been legal for more than 40 years. It was allowed after a hard fight in a heavily Catholic country. Adam Raney reports from Rome that the fight isn't over.

Continued: https://www.npr.org/2022/06/09/1103884804/the-complicated-state-of-abortion-access-in-italy


‘Absurd’ rules obstruct abortion access in Italy during COVID-19

‘Absurd’ rules obstruct abortion access in Italy during COVID-19
Abortion has been legal in Italy for 40 years but guidelines say medical terminations must occur in hospitals – now overwhelmed by the pandemic. Italiano

Francesca Visser
3 April 2020

As coronavirus infections spread throughout northern Italy, Lisa* got pregnant. In her late 40s, with two children, a precarious job and poor health, she said: “Unfortunately I realised I was pregnant unexpectedly, above all at my age”.

She decided to have an abortion, which has been legal for most of Lisa’s life. But these services are hard to access even in ‘normal’ times. Many doctors refuse to provide them, and unlike in other European countries, medical abortions in Italy are only available at hospitals, and only up to seven weeks of pregnancy.

Continued: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/italy-access-abortion-during-covid/