Next week the Parliament will debate and vote on the anti-choice bill amending the current abortion regulations. Should this change take effect abortion would be banned in all circumstances. The citizen’s bill amending the Act on Family Planning, protection of the Human Foetus and Conditions of Pregnancy Termination and related Acts was submitted by the Committee “Stop Abortion”. Should the Act on Family Planning be changed, abortion would become illegal in all cases which would in turn result in the violation of women’s human rights. Couples who would find out that their child would be born with a severe illness or genetic defect resulting in enormous pain and suffering, would have to continue the pregnancy. Even if it became clear during prenatal screening that a child would die immediately after birth or after a few painful months due to a fatal illness, a woman would not have the right to terminate such pregnancy. Those who are pushing for that bill remain silent on physical and emotional suffering of such children and their parents. Although there would be a provision in a Criminal Code saying that a doctor who “contributes to the death of an unborn child” in case of immediate threat to a woman’s life and health would not be criminalized, in reality we might see a rise of cases like Savita’s in Ireland and even more unsafe and illegal abortions performed in the abortion underground.

Source: Federation for Women and Family Planning