When the environmental discourse mocks abortion, the laws have no more value than empty words. This is demonstrated by the situation in Turkey, revealed by a report published by RFI, on October 29. In this country between Europe and Asia, the right to abortion up to 10 weeks of pregnancy has been guaranteed by law since 1983. However, over the past decade, it has become nearly impossible for women to have an abortion for free. The figures given in this report are appalling. In 2020, 54% of public hospitals refused to terminate unwanted pregnancies. Even in Istanbul, a city of 16 million people, only one public hospital has agreed to perform abortions. In Turkey, doctors who refuse abortion face no punishment. But it is probably the government line that influences them the most.
In 2020, 54% of public hospitals refused to terminate unwanted pregnancies.
RFI
Erdogan and the limitation of abortion to 6 weeks of pregnancy
According to RFI, an “informal ban” was gradually put in place in public hospitals shortly after a speech by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in May 2012. The president, then still prime minister, announced that the government was preparing an abortion law. The idea was therefore to bring the legal duration of the abortion forward to 6 weeks. In other words, nothing at all, because very often, in this period of pregnancy, women do not even know that they are pregnant. The head of the government then gave his vision of abortion by declaring: “some tell us: ‘a woman can have an abortion if she wants, it is her right’. No, it’s a murder! “. Faced with the mobilizations of Turkish women, the government has finally changed its mind. But too late, Erdogan’s words had already taken effect.
Cover image: Unsplash / ManyBecerra
Source: Madmoizelle
Ashley Root is an author and celebrity journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for all things celebrity, Ashley is always up-to-date on the latest gossip and trends in the world of entertainment.
