Slovakia: ICJ expresses concerns over attempts to roll back reproductive rights of women

Europe and Central Asia
Issue: Women's Human Rights
Document Type: Open Letter
Date: 2019

On 18 November, the ICJ, together with 35 other non-governmental organizations, addressed an open letter to the members of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, expressing deep concern at ongoing legislative attempts to roll back on the reproductive rights of women in Slovakia.

At this time the Slovak Parliament is debating new draft legislation that would require women seeking abortion care to undergo a mandatory ultrasound scanning, to view and obtain the ultrasound image of the embryo or the foetus, and where technically possible, to also listen to the “heartbeat of the embryo or the foetus.” The proposed legislation also seeks to prohibit “advertising” on abortion and to impose a fine of up to 66,400 Euros on those who order or disseminate it.

In the letter, the signatory organizations raised concern that, if adopted, this legislation would harm women’s health and well-being, obstruct their access to safe abortion care and violate Slovakia’s international human rights obligations.

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Slovakia-Reproductive rights-Advocacy-Open Letter-2019-ENG (letter available in PDF)

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