Is abortion legal in Italy?

Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy through the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus.

When deliberate steps are taken to end a pregnancy, it is called an induced abortion, or less frequently “induced miscarriage.”

Around 56 million abortions are performed each year in the world, with about 45% done unsafely.

Abortion rates changed little between 2003 and 2008, before which they decreased for at least two decades as access to family planning and birth control increased.

As of 2018, 37% of the world’s women had access to legal abortions without limits as to reason.

Countries that permit abortions have different limits on how late in pregnancy abortion is allowed. Abortion rates are similar between countries that ban abortion and countries that allow it.

Is abortion legal in Italy? Abortion is legal in Italy, becoming legal in May 1978 and requires that Italian women terminate pregnancies on request during the first 90 days.

A proposal to repeal the law was considered in a 1981 referendum, but was rejected by nearly 68% of voters; another referendum aimed at eliminating the restrictions was rejected by 88.4%.

Italian women are eligible to request an abortion for health, economic or social reasons, including the circumstances under which conception occurred.

Abortions in Italy are performed free of charge in public hospitals or in private structures authorized by the regional health authorities.

Italy’s law on abortion also allows termination in the second trimester of the pregnancy only when the life of the woman would be at risk if the pregnancy is carried to term or the fetus carries genetic or other serious malformations which would put the mother at risk of serious psychological or physical consequences.

Italy’s law on abortion states that, unless a state of emergency requires immediate intervention, a period of seven days, not compulsory, has to occur between the medical authorization and the effective date of the termination.