Society

Italian doctors refuse to have abortions

Despite the fact that abortion operations in Italy have long been recognized by law, recently more and more doctors refuse to have abortions, thereby forcing women to look for other, sometimes unsafe, options.

After Benito Mussolini’s ban on abortion was lifted in 1978 due to the efforts of a group of influential women politicians, including former Foreign Minister Emma Bonina, Italians were given the legislative right to terminate their pregnancy within the first three months after conception. Abortion after 90 days of pregnancy is permitted only in cases of fetal damage, or when the mother’s life is at risk.

Such a right may seem unacceptable to a Catholic country. Before the law came into force, sociologists claimed that abortion was the third leading cause of death for women. Many politicians have repeatedly tried to return the ban from the time of the Italian dictator. However, all of the above does not imply that making an abortion operation in Italy is easy.

“The situation has worsened in recent years,” said Elisabetta Canitano, gynecologist and president of Vita di Donna, an organization that provides women with help and support in providing medical services.

So, in March this year, a 28-year-old girl named Valentina Magnanti assured the jury that for 15 hours she had experienced hellish torment during childbirth after doctors refused to terminate her pregnancy in the fifth month, even taking into account that the fetus was badly damaged. Another patient had to call the police to the hospital, where doctors refused to have an abortion after the operation began. In other cases, women who were denied the aforementioned surgery sought unsafe medical care, risking their health.

According to the law on the abolition of the ban on abortion, there is a unique clause that states that a doctor may refuse to perform an abortion operation based on his moral principles. The number of doctors justifying their rejection of abortion by this particular article in the law has increased significantly in recent years.

Massimo Gondolfini, a spokeswoman for the anti-abortion organization (Associazione Scienza e Vita), explains the growing rejection of abortion because most doctors consider this procedure “completely unacceptable and unfair.” The organization represented by Gondolfini believes that “nothing can justify killing a child,” and urges women to abandon the idea of ​​aborting.

Silvana Agatone, a doctor at a hospital in Rome, cannot support her colleagues, claiming that performing such operations is an integral part of the gynecologist’s work, and insists that every hospital should provide this kind of service. “The law gives women the right to abortion in a safe environment, and not in conditions of secrecy and danger,” Agatone said. In the Lazio region alone, 80 percent of gynecologists refuse to perform abortion operations, citing their moral principles. In the south of the country, only every tenth specialist will agree to this procedure.

The main problem today in Italy is the search for doctors who would agree to have an abortion operation after 90 days from conception. After this period, an abortion requires more attention and caution: after all, the health and life of the mother are in danger. Health facilities often rely on the help of freelance specialists if their workers categorically refuse to take on such responsibility.

“In the five provinces of the Lazio region, there are only two doctors who agree to have an abortion after 90 days,” Agatone explains. “Before going to the operating table during this period of pregnancy, women have to undergo numerous examinations over several days.” The specialist also explains that very often women go to hospitals in another city, or even go abroad.

In addition, Agatone notes, many doctors are simply unprepared for operations of this kind. “At universities, students studying for gynecologists are not taught abortion surgery.” Nevertheless, one should not blame the reluctance of doctors on abortions in connection with their own moral concepts. There are many doctors who, opposing abortion, agree to have them.

Watch the video: Polish doctors conceal medical conditions to avoid abortions (November 2024).

Popular Posts

Category Society, Next Article

Cesana Torinese - ski resort in Piedmont
Piedmont

Cesana Torinese - ski resort in Piedmont

Cesana Torinese is a small commune located in the province of Turin in the Piedmont region. The indigenous population of the commune is just over a thousand people, a large one works in the tourism industry. Cesana Torinese is a popular ski resort that is part of the Via Lattea resort region.
Read More
Ski resort Limone Piemonte
Piedmont

Ski resort Limone Piemonte

Limone Piemonte is an old ski resort in the Southwestern Alps, which since the beginning of the 19th century has been pleasing its visitors with a variety of slopes and a developed tourist infrastructure. This amazing place is located at the junction of the borders of Italy and France, and combines the cultures of both countries.
Read More
Isola Bella - Borromeo Palace and Gardens
Piedmont

Isola Bella - Borromeo Palace and Gardens

On the beautiful lake of Lago Maggiore in northern Italy, 400 meters from the coastal town of Stresa, there is a picturesque castle island, island park. The entire small area of ​​the island of Isola Bella (Isola Bella) is occupied by the palace and park complex of Count Borromeo. When Count Vitaliano VI Borromeo (Vitaliano VI Borromeo) began in 1632 the construction of the palace and park complex, which later became famous, Isola Bella (ital.
Read More
Ski resort Souz d'Oulx
Piedmont

Ski resort Souz d'Oulx

Sauze d'Oulx is a resort region located in the Val di Susa Valley of the province of Turin. The region is part of the resort region of Via Lattea (Vialattea), also known as the Milky Way. During its existence, the town of Souz d'Oulx went through many events: it repeatedly became a bridgehead for the troops, Roman legions passed through it, the Goth armies and the Lombards.
Read More