This year, the Global Day for Safe and Legal Abortion, was also marked in the Republic of Macedonia. Having resisting and persisting ever since 2013 when the restricting Law on Termination of Pregnancy was adopted, the Gender Equality Platform and HERA – Health Education and Research Education, joined once again the 28 September Global Campaign. An Experts’ debate and consultation for the changes in the abortion law “Abortion is not safe as long as it is an obstacle race” was organized with the presence of 25 key stakeholders. The deputy minister of Health and Government Health advisor were also present at the meeting. During the experts meeting the key findings and recommendations from the recent research “Documenting the human rights impact of retrogressive legislative and policy barriers on women’s access to abortion in Macedonia”, that was conducted by HERA and the Center for Reproductive Rights, were also presented to verify the legislation restrictions for the Macedonian women in obtaining abortion on request. The Gender Equality Platform addressed five requests to the new Government of the Republic of Macedonia and the Ministry of Health, whose representatives not only acknowledged the urgent necessity to change the regressive Law and improve women’s RH care but also politically commit they would open the process for law amendments very soon and in transparent and participative manner with both civil society and medical experts. The first step would be to establish national working group that will start working on the changes in the abortion legislation or even enacting new legislation that fully protect women’s rights and their reproductive choices.
Source: H.E.R.A.