In 2021 the first, large, stone had fallen from the wall that prevented women from fully enjoying their reproductive rights. With the vote last night, August 31, of the Great and General Council, the wall collapses definitively: San Marino approves its abortion law which from now on is no longer considered a crime. The popular parliamentary organ of the Republic, the Great and General Council, which is made up of 60 deputies, has given the green light at second reading to the bill resulting from the consultation on 26 September last. For San Marino citizens it will be possible to take advantage of the new law as soon as it comes into force, scheduled for the fifth day following that of its legal publication.

The vote and the declarations of the Captains Regent

There were 32 votes in favor, 7 against and 10 abstentions and before the approval in the classroom, there was the unusual and out of the ceremonial declaration of the Captains Regent, who thanked the institutional Secretariat and the political forces who meditated “to achieve a result that would trigger a referendum”. In addition, thanks also went to the referendum committees themselves, “because in their work they have produced a debate in the country, demonstrating that the participation of civil society it is of great value in a democratic country ”.

The most controversial topics

If the outcome of the referendum last year had been overwhelming, with the yes to the decriminalization of abortion that had prevailed by a large majority (77.28% of the votes against 22.72%), the epochal transition in the Republic of Titano required a long and in-depth discussion by the Commission and the Bureau on collateral and equally important issues: among the most controversial aspects emergency contraception And sex education in the schoolsbut also the role of “Associative structures” who can “support mothers”. In “Law 21“There is an obligation to pass through the consultor for all women who choose to abort by the 12th week of pregnancy, with the only possibility of opting for a remote meeting, through a screen. An amendment was not passed that wanted to make this access optional, to protect freedom of choice and privacy, but it is explained instead how “in the pending periods referred to in paragraph 1 and until the establishment of the Clinic, requests for access to voluntary termination of pregnancy are taken over by the ISS Obstetrics and Gynecology UOC which delegates to the affiliated health facility outside the Republic “.

“About Uds. This is a starting point “

“We celebrate, but we must be aware that it is a starting point“, Commented theUnion of San Marino Women (Uds), promoter of last year’s referendum. Upon approval, the women of the movement, from all political camps in the country, gathered in Piazza della Libertà and in front of the Palazzo Pubblico to celebrate. “It took Uds organization and strength to make it, all together, link in an emancipatory chain that starts from afar and does not stop there, it never stops. We own it all ”, commented on Facebook Vanessa Muratori, a former left parliamentarian and the first woman in politics to take up the battle for abortion almost 20 years ago.