Facilities belonging to Bratislava University Hospital (UNB) will continue to carry out abortions if patients request them, UNB spokesperson Zuzana Čižmáriková told the TASR newswire on Thursday, January 27.
"Terminations according to patients' requests will continue to be carried out, notwithstanding the fact that this runs contrary to a new philosophy in the development of the UNB's gynaecological and obstetrical clinics," she said.
The Pravda daily reported on Tuesday, 25 January, that as of February all three clinics that come under the UNB were planning to stop carrying out abortions, even before the legal limit at the 12th week of pregnancy. Doctors said that this came in the wake of a mysterious unofficial decision to which they would have to submit, even though not all of the more than 80 gynaecologists working for the hospital had objected to carrying out abortions. Health minister Ivan Uhliarik later denied that he was behind the move.
According to Čižmáriková, the UNB was surprised at the negative response after the clinics applied what she described as their fundamental right to exercise their own free will.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
