The Health Ministry's chief gynaecology expert Karol Holoman said he found that no laws or ethics had been breached in a number of eastern Slovak hospitals suspected of carrying out coerced sterilizations on Roma women.
The allegations were presented in a report entitled Body and Soul published a month ago by the New York-based Centre for Reproductive Rights. Police investigators are looking into the allegations but have so far presented no findings.
Holoman said that he would push for an update on the law governing sterilisation so that medical professionals would be required to give all women considering the operation a complete explanation of its consequences and a minimum of 72 hours to think about it before going through with it.
Compiled by Martina Pisárová from press reports.
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
