SKOPJE - The FYRO Macedonian Parliament has adopted a new abortion legislation that fully respects women’s rights and choice for pregnancy termination. Secretariat to the FYRO Macedonian APPG, HERA, and other civil society organisations were members of the working group by the Minister of Health, Venko Filipce, for drafting the law. The new law on abortion, whose draft version is nearly complete, will put an emphasis on women’s right to choose, Filipce pledged.
In 2013, the Parliament has restricted access to abortion care through introduction of mandatory and biased counselling, 3-day waiting period, and introducing very high penalties and fines for doctors to limit access to abortion services. After 6 years of fighting by Macedonian civil society organisations, and the change of the political environment in 2017 (social-democrats), the abortion law has now been changed to value the needs and the free will of women.
The mandatory and biased counselling and 3-days waiting period has been removed from the new law and information that women should receive about abortion will now be objective and evidence-based (according to World Health Organization standards). Moreover, the deadline for elective abortion has been shifted from 10 to 12 gestational weeks.
Abortion from 12 until 22 weeks can be performed due to socioeconomic reasons, foetus malformation, rape and incest and medical indications without approval from the hospital commission as it was before, hence doctors can ask for second opinion from another specialist if necessary. However, the free will of the women to make an abortion between 12 and 22 weeks is guaranteed by the law, and no matter of the opinion of the doctor/s and the ground for abortion, she will just need to sign a statement (elaborating on her reasons for abortion) to which the hospital is oblige to perform the abortion at end.
No supporting documentation from the Public Prosecutor is any more needed for abortion in case of rape. This is also in a line with the Istanbul Convention. The statement of the women who was raped will be sufficient.
The new legislation also introduce medical abortion pills as an option for the women to terminate the pregnancy aside of surgical method. According to the new laws the MoH is obliged to develop new clinical guidance for the abortion care (3 months from now), in which the medical abortion method should be also part of CAC.
The abortion can be now also performed in general healthcare facilities up until 9 weeks of pregnancy, but only with medical abortion pills. This will increase access to abortion services for women, particularly in areas where there is a sshortage of abortion services. The new law also significantly reduces the penalties and fines for doctors (from 30.000 EUR to 3.000 EUR) which is a line with the general penalty standards in the health care.