Sicily Requires Hospitals to Hire Doctors Who Perform Abortions

Sicily has adopted a law to facilitate access to abortion. The Regional Assembly passed by secret vote - 27 in favour, 25 against - a law, proposed by an elected member of the Democratic Party, which obliges public hospitals to recruit doctors practising voluntary abortions (IVGs) in a context of very difficult access. A problem that also affects all Italy.

It is one of the Italian regions with the highest number of health workers objector of conscience. But now from Sicily comes a turning point on the protection of the right of women to voluntary termination of pregnancy. The Sicilian Regional Assembly has in fact approved a rule that introduces the obligation to hire doctors not objectors in the public hospital structures, thus ensuring the full implementation of the law 194 of 1978. The measure …

In Italy, many doctors refuse to carry out voluntary interruptions of pregnancy, thus limiting access to abortion.

It is a very important decision, in one of the Italian regions where it is more difficult to abort

This measure is a response to a major obstacle to the right to abortion: the conscientious objection of health professionals. On the island, it is not possible to practice a voluntary termination of pregnancy (IVG) in more than half of the hospitals.

Sicily requires hospitals to hire doctors who perform abortions

Sicily has passed a law requiring public hospitals to hire doctors who do not object to performing abortions, amid difficulties across Italy in accessing terminations. The measure was adopted by the assembly of the right-wing-led regional authority on Tuesday, in what its main proponent described as a “historic moment”. Abortion has been legal in Italy since 1978 but doctors can refuse to perform the procedure by citing conscientious objections.…