111 organizations, including ASTRA Network, express deep concern regarding current threats to reproductive rights in Slovakia in a joint civil society letter published yesterday.

The Slovak Parliament is currently debating draft legislation that if adopted would impose new barriers to accessing lawful abortion care, harm women’s health and well-being, and undermine their decision-making and privacy. It would also force doctors to act in conflict with their professional obligations to their patients.

The draft legislation seeks to double the medically unnecessary mandatory waiting period currently required before accessing abortion on request and extend its application, impose a new layer of medical authorization requirements for abortion on health grounds, and introduce a requirement forcing women to state the reasons for seeking an abortion and to provide other private information when requesting an abortion.

The draft legislation also seeks to restrict the information that medical professionals can provide publicly about abortion care, and to strengthen the dissuasive nature of the mandatory information doctors are required to provide to women seeking abortion.

Together with other civil society organisations, we call on all Members of Parliament to reject this regressive and harmful legislative proposal and to refrain from further attempts to restrict women’s reproductive rights in Slovakia.

This post was originally published by IPPF European Network.