ITALY-ABORTION-TBs-CEDAW

Concluding Observations on Report 8 (2024) (Link)

Health

41. The Committee welcomes the measures taken by the State party to upgrade the Essential Levels of Care and facilitate access to health services by asylum-seeking and migrant women and women living with HIV/AIDS. The Committee notes, however, with concern:

(a) The persistence of regional disparities and inequalities in access to basic health services due to social and economic status, gender and geographical location, which particularly affects rural women, women living in poverty, women with disabilities, women from ethnic minorities, such as Roma, Sinti and Caminanti women, refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant women and lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women;

(b) The limited access of women and girls to affordable modern contraceptives in the State party;

(c) The lack of information on access to safe abortion services, the very limited number of health centres providing such services, the high rate of conscientious objection to performing abortions by medical practitioners, the requirement to undergo prolonged mandatory waiting periods of up to four weeks in practice and the lack of measures to prevent and address the defamation, victimization and harassment of women who choose to have an abortion;

(d) The limited access of women and girls with disabilities to health services and information in accessible formats.

42. In line with its general recommendation No. 24 (1999) on women and health, the Committee recommends that the State party:

(a) Strengthen women’s access to health services, including sexual and reproductive health services, throughout the State party, especially in rural and remote areas, with a special focus on rural women, women living in poverty, women with disabilities, women belonging to ethnic minorities, such as Roma, Sinti and Caminanti women, refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant women and lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women;

(b) Increase the budget allocated to the prevention of sexually transmitted infections, in particular HIV, and ensure that women and men, girls and boys, have affordable access to modern contraceptives;

(c) Ensure that the exercise of conscientious objection by health-care personnel does not prevent women from having access to safe abortion services, including by requiring mandatory referrals, remove the requirement for mandatory waiting periods, in line with the recommendations of the World Health Organization, and adopt effective measures to prevent and address the defamation, victimization and harassment of women who choose to have an abortion;

(d) Ensure that women and girls with disabilities, including women and girls with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities, have adequate access to health-care services, including sexual and reproductive health services, and health information in accessible formats and provide capacity-building to health-care personnel on the right of women and girls with disabilities to decide autonomously on matters relating to their health.

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Concluding Observations on Report 7 (2017) (Link)

Health

41. The Committee is concerned about:

(a) The reduction in public funds allocated to health care and the partial privatization of the sector, which is having a detrimental impact on the health of women, in particular those belonging to disadvantaged and marginalized groups;

(b) The regional disparities in the provision of essential-level assistance;

(c) The reduction of funds in the area of prevention of sexually transmitted infections, in particular HIV, and the increased cost of the new generation of contraceptives;

(d) The limited availability and accessibility of abortion services owing to the significant number of health personnel conscientiously objecting to carrying out such operations and the lack of health centres providing these services, leading pregnant women to undergo unsafe abortions;

(e) The fact that intersex children are subjected to irreversible surgery for intersex variation and other medical treatment without their free and informed consent.

42. The Committee, recalling its general recommendation No. 24 (1999) on women and health, recommends that the State party:

(a) Increase the budget allocated to the health sector in order to ensure the full realization of the right to health, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, for all women and girls;

(b) Ensure that essential-level assistance is evenly provided throughout the State party;

(c) Increase the budget allocated to the prevention of sexually transmitted infections, in particular HIV, and improve access to the new generation of contraceptives, including by ensuring coverage by the national health service;

(d) Ensure the full application of Act No. 194/78 throughout the State party, including by identifying existing hindrances and adopting a procedure common to all provinces in order to guarantee access to abortion services and appropriate referral services, and ensure that the exercise of conscientious objection by health-care personnel does not pose an obstacle for women who wish to terminate a pregnancy;

(e) Develop and implement a rights-based health-care protocol for intersex children, ensuring that children and their parents are appropriately informed of all options, that the children are involved, to the greatest extent possible, in decision-making about medical interventions and that their choices are respected and that no child is subjected to unnecessary surgery or treatment.

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Concluding Observations on Report 6 (2011) (Link)

[no mention]

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Concluding Observations on Report 4-5 (2005) (Link)

[no mention]

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Concluding Observations on Report 2-3 (1997) (Link)

353. The Committee expressed particular concern with regard to the limited availability of abortion services for women in southern Italy, as a result of the high incidence of conscientious objection among doctors and hospital personnel.

360. The Committee strongly recommended that the Government take steps to secure the enjoyment by women, in particular, southern Italian women, of their reproductive rights by, inter alia, guaranteeing them access to safe abortion services in public hospitals.

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Concluding Observations on Report 1 (1991) (Link)

58. On article 12, members asked whether lower income groups could easily obtain contraceptives; whether measures protecting women’s health were available for all women, including single women, young women and women in rural areas; and under what kind of sanitary conditions abortions were carried out. More information was requested on the abortion law. It was asked whether the number of adolescent pregnancies was growing and whether the product RU486 was allowed in Italy.

74. Referring to article 12, she said that information and prevention campaigns were being carried out by family counselling centres. Statistics showed that abortion had decreased over the past five years, but recently there had also been a sharp drop in the birth rate so that Italy was currently the country with the lowest birth rate in Europe. The abortion pill RU486 was being tested in some selected clinics.

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