Slovak National Party presented Slovak government with a draft of a bill that will limit access to abortion in the country.  If introduced, proposed new legislation  would force women and persons seeking abortion to undergo a mandatory ultrasound examination, to view and obtain the ultrasound image of the embryo or the foetus, and to listen to the “heartbeat of the embryo or the foetus.” The new law would also ban “advertising” abortion and  impose a fine of up to 66,400 Euros on those who order or disseminate it.

As stated in an open letter signed by ASTRA Network: If this legislation is adopted, Slovakia would be the only EU member state to impose these harmful requirements on women. No other EU member state imposes on women a requirement to undergo mandatory ultrasound for obtaining abortion care and no other member state requires that women view ultrasound images or listen to the “foetal heartbeat” before abortion.

The bill is to be discussed and voted on during a new session of Slovak Parliament, which will start  on 26th November (next Tuesday).