On Tuesday, 16 April, the lower house of the Italian Parliament approved a measure to ensure that counselling is required before an abortion. This allows volunteer groups, if appropriately qualified, to participate in this support network.
The new law does not fundamentally alter the provisions of Italy’s 1978 abortion law. Whilst the Italian abortion law has long-required that women undergo mandatory counselling, the nature of the counselling has often been criticised by pro-life groups in Italy as ineffective in providing women with access to meaningful supports. This new provision states that such consultations can “make use, without new or greater burdens on public finances, also of the involvement of from the third sector who have qualified experience in maternity support.”
Pro-life organisations such as the Movimento per la Vita provide women in unplanned pregnancies with meaningful supports. Every year around 60 thousand women, the vast majority of whom are expecting a child, are assisted in various ways by the Movimento per la Vita. This new change to the Italian abortion law is to be welcomed as it upholds freedom of conscience and provides greater space for pro-life organisations to provide meaningful supports to women in unplanned pregnancies.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has warned against the lack of toleration for pro-life citizens. He said: “We have always allowed freedom of conscience on issues of this kind. I believe it is right for everyone to behave according to their own beliefs and conscience.” This is particularly important in light of recent moves to clamp down on opposition to abortion and to instead enshrine abortion as a “fundamental right”, as was recently seen in a vote in the French Assembly and in the symbolic non-binding vote of the European Parliament. Mr Tajani is himself a former President of the European Parliament until 2019.