Slovak Parliament has voted against a bill that would restrict access to abortion in the country.

The bill, proposed by the leading parliamentary group back in July, has already passed the first out of three votes in September. It proposed a number of amendments into various Slovak laws concerning, among others, reproductive care and social support. The changes included a prolongation of the mandatory waiting period from 48 hours to 96 hours, extension of information to be collected for statistical purposes (to include a reason for having the procedure and detailed description of domestic situation), a requirement that abortions on health grounds and abortions on the grounds of fetal impairment can only be provided upon obtaining two medical opinions attesting the grounds and introduction of a ban on informing of providing abortion services.

Proposed legislation has attracted international attention, with numerous organisations taking a stand in order to show solidarity and support for Slovak women – i.e. an open letter signed by over 100 NGO’s, including ASTRA Network, was issued in September.

Results of the vote can be accessed here.