MAP. The right to abortion in Satu Mare, a utopia. In many areas access is severely restricted

Although reproductive and sexual rights are defined as human rights at an international level, and national legislation provides for women’s access to abortion after the terrible communist period in which induced abortions ended in most situations with the death of women, Romanian doctors, but also the system in general, no cares about the reproductive health of patients. Violating women’s rights, but also their own Code of Ethics, some doctors cite the right to their own conscience, which is sometimes more “relaxed” when it comes to paying for medical services. A recent study by the Association of Independent Midwives shows that abortion services are not offered in more than 80% of public hospitals, and women’s access is severely restricted in many of the country’s counties. This means that even victims of sexual abuse and incest have to pay for their abortions, if they find a doctor who can keep his oath.

The Association of Independent Midwives has recreated, as part of a research, the route that any patient who needs an abortion service has to travel and shows that over 80% of the public medical units in Romania do not offer abortion services or cannot be contacted.

The results of the research were presented at a round table, organized on March 4 this year in partnership with the Center for Equal Opportunity Policies (CPES) – Faculty of Political Sciences within the University of Bucharest, and the Gender Equality Plan, in which they participated representatives of the academic environment, of central public institutions, Romanian and international civil society organizations, patients, students, representatives of embassies, human rights activists and journalists.

According to the research, in Romania, out of 176 public medical units that have obstetrics-gynecology departments, only 7 units provide either medical or surgical abortion in accordance with the recommendations of medical guidelines, pharmaceutical leaflets and national legislation, and, out of 783 units private medical facilities (clinics and hospitals), only 3 units offer both types of termination of pregnancy services according to the guidelines, prospectus and national legislation. No public facility offers both types of abortion.

In Romania, the maximum legal limit for surgical abortion is 14 weeks, and for medical abortion the recommendations from the medical guidelines, combined with those from the pharmaceutical leaflets, provide for a limit of 9 weeks.

The situation in public medical units

• 111 out of 176 public units (63.06%) answered that they do not offer this medical abortion service;
• 7 facilities (4%) stated that they provide either medical abortion up to 9 weeks or surgical abortion up to 14 weeks, according to guidelines, leaflets and legislation;
• 26 units (14.77%) provide pregnancy termination services up to lower limits than those provided in the recommendations of medical guidelines, pharmaceutical leaflets and national legislation;
• 32 units (18.18%) did not answer the phone.

The situation at national level (public and private system)

• 552 out of 959 public and private medical facilities (57.55%) answered that they do not perform pregnancy terminations;
• 66 units (6.88%) provide medical abortion up to 9 weeks, or surgical abortion up to 14 weeks, or both types;
• 142 medical units (14.8%) provide the medical abortion service on demand, but up to small gestational ages (5-7 weeks for medical abortion or 7-10 weeks for surgical abortion), with non-compliance with the provisions of the leaflets, guidelines, they do not provide information on the phone about the deadline by which they provide medical abortion or surgical abortion, or they answer the phone aggressively;
• 52 medical units (5.42%) provide access to medical abortion up to 8 weeks of pregnancy or surgical abortion up to 13 weeks of pregnancy;
• 147 medical facilities (15.32%) did not answer the phone or the phone was not functional.

AMI research also shows that, in most cases, patients are not referred: 90% of hospitals and clinics stated that they do not refer women who request termination of pregnancy on request, although this obligation is expressly provided for in the Medical Code of Ethics (art. 34). Among those who stated that they send patients to other medical units, over half provided referral information to clinics and hospitals where this service is not actually available.

The research also includes a series of barriers that patients face, including the one related to costs. The price of a medical abortion can reach up to 1,800 lei, and that of a surgical abortion up to 4,800 lei, abortion on demand and therapeutic abortion being medical services provided for a fee, both in the public and in the private system.

The only procedures covered by the national health insurance system are abortions in progress and care for impending abortions. The report states that, including if a victim of sexual assault needs medical services for termination of pregnancy, these will be provided for a fee.

photo source: Feminism Romania/Facebook