Medical abortion – from next year: Lithuania among the last in Europe
“If everything goes according to plan, the improved project has already been uploaded to the legal information system. I think the document could reach the stage of my signature this summer. We are working in parallel so that the corresponding drugs are also registered in the fall”, – 15 minutes said A. Dulkys.
“If we succeeded, then such a service could actually exist from January 1, 2023,” he added.
According to him, the drug abortion will be a safer alternative.
“It would be safer, another service as an alternative to surgical intervention,” said the Minister of Health.
According to A. Dulkis, the procedure will be compensated and free of charge.
According to the minister, medical abortion is currently used in ten countries of the world, including the USA, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
Congratulations on the decision
Head of the Human Rights Center Jūratė Juškaitė 15 minutes said she welcomed the decision to legalize medication abortion.
“The fact that women in Lithuania had completely unnecessary surgical interventions shows that Lithuania has room to improve in the field of women’s rights. Therefore, it is welcome that the ministry is finally catching up with medical achievements and is looking for opportunities to regulate medication abortion in Lithuanian treatment facilities,” said the human rights defender.
According to her, the only problem is that abortions are not legalized by law, but only by order of the minister.
“It is regrettable that there is still no political will to eliminate this issue as recommended by the United Women’s Committee on Discrimination – to adopt a law that would ensure women’s right to further discontinuation of both drugs by surgical means,” said Juškaitė.
According to the human rights defender, the law to legalize abortion would demonstrate the determination to protect reproductive rights and strengthen the political will of women’s changing ministers.
The fact that women in Lithuania had to completely avoid surgical intervention shows that Lithuania has room to stretch women’s rights.
J. Juškaitė also assures that every year, despite medical achievements, according to the World Health Organization, around 40 thousand people die during unsafe and illegal abortions in the world. women.
“Although all available tools and methods are available to prevent these deaths, the right to terminate a pregnancy is a woman’s right,” the head of the Human Rights Center emphasized.
According to her, the drug abortion is safe and effective, it allows to avoid anesthesia and surgical intervention.
“The Last in Europe”
According to Vytautas Klim, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Santara Clinics, Lithuania will continue to be the last country in Europe to legalize medical abortion.
“It seems to me that Lithuania will be the last European country to legalize this. In other countries, including the Baltic countries, it has been legalized for a long time. It is a modern safer than surgical termination of pregnancy,” – 15 minutes said the doctor.
According to him, during a medical abortion, two pills are taken – mifepristone and misoprostol.
“It is a more advanced and less risky procedure. There is no need for anesthesia, there is no need to go to the hospital, it takes place at the patient’s home, so less stress is caused,” said V. Klimas.
Currently, it is possible to legally terminate a pregnancy in Lithuania up to the 12th week of pregnancy.
According to the Institute of Hygiene, since 1997 abortions in Lithuania have been consistently decreasing – that year there were 30.6 thousand of them. (22.7 thousand artificial), and last year 5349 (2735 artificial) were registered.