Activists call on the government to ensure access to safe abortions during the pandemic

European governments must ensure safe and timely access to abortion during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the main message of the call of dozens of international NGOs, including five operating in Slovakia.

As European countries work to address the pandemic, protect their populations, and meet the increased demand on health care workers and health care facilities, it is vital that they adopt measures to safeguard the health, human dignity, physical and mental integrity, as well as reproductive autonomy of women and girls in the region, they wrote in the letter.

“Women and girls are facing significant restrictions in safely accessing essential sexual and reproductive health services, particularly timely abortion care, post-abortion care, and emergency contraception,” they wrote.