The vote on the decriminalization of abortion was postponed for the 3rd time this Wednesday. This law also provides for the extension of the deadline for performing an abortion. This is a major breakthrough for women. Each year, more than 500 go to the Netherlands to have an abortion.
“I am not ashamed [d’avoir avorté] and I think no woman should be ashamed of it, “ testifies Florence Nicosanti, a 32-year-old midwife.
A few years ago, this Brussels woman terminated a pregnancy. She was then a young graduate and was not yet financially stable. Despite the disapproving look that society still has on women who have chosen an abortion, Florence testifies to our editorial staff with courage and sincerity.
Abortion is not easy or pleasant to live
“At the time, I went to a family planning center, describes Florence, now a mother. The care went very well. It’s just that it’s long. When we made this decision, which is a difficult decision, we don’t necessarily want it to last. There are a whole series of rules that can be disturbed. I was thinking of going there and fixing it relatively quickly. But first, we have to see a social worker who asks us questions and checks that we are under no pressure and that the choice we are making is ours, that nobody is pushing us to take it. Then we make an appointment with the gynecologist. Then I had to wait, come back, etc. It took 15 days. Abortion is not easy or pleasant to live in, [donc l’attente peut être éprouvante]“.
This period of time, which varies according to the case and which Florence found too long, is one of the arguments which pushed the militants to revise the law of 1990. Today if a woman chooses to abort, she is forced to think about it again for six days. Activists propose to reduce this period to 48 hours.
“When the patient arrives, I’m supposed to say ‘Okay, you can have an abortion, but you’re going to think about it for six days'”, describes Isabelle Bomboir, doctor and administrator of the action group of non-hospital abortion centers (GACEHPA).
500 women go abroad every year
Before adding: “But the patients will answer me ‘I have thought about it, I know I want to have an abortion’. There is a way in the current law to assert a medical emergency which can be physical or psychological, we can use it , but not all practitioners will do it. So, we would like to reduce the period from six days to 48 hours. There is obviously no obligation to abort after 48 hours, we keep a period of reflection if it is necessary : but it is up to the patient to choose if she needs to think. The majority of women are decided when they arrive “.
Another concern of activists is the case of Belgian women forced to go abroad to have access to abortion. Each year, 500 of them travel to the Netherlands because their pregnancy is judged to be late. However, the intervention costs around 1,000 euros and increases depending on the number of weeks of pregnancy, not counting the trip. Activists therefore want to extend the period during which abortion is possible in Belgium. He would then go from 12 to 18 weeks of pregnancy.
Complete decriminalization of abortion
“We often say that if we extend the time, women will have an abortion later in pregnancy”, explains Caroline Watillon, project manager, IVG & Contraception referent for the Lay Federation of Family Planning Centers.
Before specifying: “In fact, when we look at what is happening in other countries it is not verified. This is the case in England, Sweden but also in Canada where there is no time limit for abortion. notes that women do not wait until the last moment to have an abortion. In Quebec, there is a population of 8 million people, and 90% of abortions take place before 12 weeks. The next 10% take place in the second trimester and in the third trimester, there are 10 to 20 cases per year which are cases of extreme social and economic misery or serious fetal malformations and there these are median terminations of pregnancy “.
Finally, among the major changes demanded by activists, there is also the complete decriminalization of the voluntary termination of pregnancy: for patients and those who practice it, subject to a qualification of assault and battery if conditions are not not respected.
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