The feminist movement A Coletiva and the Family Planning Association (APF) this Sunday defended the extension of abortion to 12 weeks and the end of the mandatory reflection period.
On the day 17 years have passed since the referendum on the decriminalization of voluntary termination of pregnancy (IVG), both organizations warned in a statement that conscientious objection cited by health professionals “in practice ends in a boycott of access to this right ” “
According to A Coletiva and APF, which cite data from the Directorate General of Health (DGS), of the 40 hospital departments prepared to practice IGV, “only 29 do so.”
“It is essential that the Portuguese state takes responsibility for ensuring full compliance with the law, removing bureaucratic barriers and ensuring that all health facilities trained to carry out IVG do so effectively,” they complain.
For organizations, the current law is restrictive, “as it establishes a mandatory cooling-off period.” [mínimo de três dias] and the intervention of two doctors” during IVG.
In Portugal, “carrying out IVG is against the times, against the very grammar of the law, which turns out to be conservative compared to most European countries,” where the deadline is 12 weeks, they say, pointing out: “There are still women who cannot access IVG during the legal period of pregnancy.”
“When an open door is discovered, the average wait time between pre-consultation and the day of the VVG is five days, among the insufficient 10 weeks that the law imposes. The picture is as follows: women who travel kilometers are redirected, especially in the case of residents of the Centro, Alentejo and Azores regions to seek alternatives in urban centers with a wider offer of health services, a journey that in many cases ends in Lisbon with a turn to the private sector.” – they stated. describe.
The APF and A Coletiva accuse the state of failing to ensure that “the right to abortion is implemented in the NHS without boycotts or referrals.”
In the statement, both movements call for an end to the mandatory cooling-off period and the obligation of two doctors to intervene to perform an IVG, as well as an extension of the gestational age to 12 weeks, in line with the law in most countries. Europeans.
“Ensure that all medical institutions trained to practice IVG provide effective eligibility for it, and conscientious objection cannot be an obstacle to compliance with the law,” they further demand.
On the other hand, they advocate extending the practice of voluntary medical abortion to primary health care, “strengthening the territorial network throughout the country, but guaranteeing the right of a pregnant woman to choose the health facility she uses.”
“Invest in training and raising awareness of health workers, both active and in training, in the area of sexual and reproductive health,” they also state.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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