Health Minister Kujundžić: We Will Not Be Able to Adopt New Abortion Law in This Mandate

That much was concluded at the Wednesday hours-long session of the Commission. Proposals on the table on Wednesday included one that would consolidate the abortion right law with the law that regulates medically aided conception and all other matters pertaining to the woman's side of reproduction.

Novelties

The idea will likely be abandoned, however, as it would further complicate the adoption of the new law, which is sought to replace the current one, in force since 1978.

Most experts agree that the maximum gestation time for abortion should remain at 10 weeks after conception or 12 weeks after the last menstrual period. As far as the pre-abortion counseling is concerned, we hear, most experts think it should be compulsory, but the patient herself should choose who (a physician, a psychologist etc.) would conduct it.

Constitutional deadline

Talking to Commission members, we found out that there should be no major changes to the existing law in terms of women's rights. They claim that their suggestions will be in line with the solutions that are in place in most European countries. As for the constitutional deadline for the adoption of the new law, which expires in February, it is certain that the Ministry of Health will ask the Constitutional Court for an extension. Strictly speaking, the deadline is 'instructive', rather than mandatory.

In the Sabor on Wednesday, Health Minister Milan Kujundžić confirmed the possibility that the Government would not get the new abortion law adopted within this mandate.

-We must find a model that will preserve life on the one hand, while ensuring that the child will have everything it needs when it is born on the other, all without prohibition - said the Minister.

-Prohibition will not get us anything - he added saying that no one had proposed a solution that could be adopted yet and there was a possibility that the Government would not be able to get the law adopted.