Italy passes law allowing abortion opponents to contact women in clinics

The proposal that was adopted comes from the right-wing government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The law has sparked strong protests from the opposition.

The text of the law states that the regions themselves can decide whether “qualified persons” who are opposed to abortion should be allowed to approach women who are considering having the procedure done by the public health system.

Action groups among the opponents of abortion already have such access in several regions, and abortion supporters now fear that this practice will spread to the whole country.

The government defends the law by saying it is only a logical follow-up to the original abortion law from 1978. It says that clinics can cooperate with pressure groups to get more women to carry their children.

Elly Schlein from the center-left party PD strongly disagrees with the government and says that the law is a powerful attack on women’s freedom. The Five Star Movement says that Italy has taken another step backwards.

Meloni has repeatedly said she has no intention of changing the abortion law, but critics say she is trying to make it increasingly complicated to end a pregnancy.

Safe abortion is already difficult to access in Italy as a large number of gynecologists refuse to perform the procedure for religious reasons.