The Public Defender of Rights, Mária Patakyová has called on the Slovak Minister of Health to guarantee access to safe and timely abortion care following reports that many hospitals in the country are no longer providing legal abortions during the pandemic. “I consider it necessary to emphasize that the Covid-19 pandemic should not be used as an excuse to unduly interfere with women’s sexual and reproductive rights”, she said.
According to a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health, the circumstances that exclude providing abortions are health reasons! The Ministry was allowing only urgent life-saving operations, which he said did not include abortions, and he asked women to protect their own health and not to endanger the health and lives of doctors by not asking them to provide abortions.
SOURCE: Domov.sme.sk, 28 April 2020 ; Domov.sme.sk + Photo, 21 April 2020