Petition to ban abortion at any stage filed with Cabinet of Ministers
A petition on the Cabinet of Ministers' website proposes banning abortions at a woman’s request, allowing exceptions only on medical grounds.
A petition proposing a complete ban on abortion at a woman's own request at any stage of pregnancy has been registered on the website of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, reports the "Legal Newspaper" (Sudovo-Yurydychna Hazeta).
The author of the appeal asks the Cabinet to draft a new bill and revise the existing rules. The document emphasizes that the right to life is inalienable and begins at the moment of conception.
The author refers to Articles 3 and 27 of the Constitution of Ukraine, which define human life as the highest social value, as well as to Article 25 of the Civil Code, which protects the rights of the unborn child. The petition notes that the current 12-week provision originates from the Soviet law of 1955 and has no scientific basis, and that a woman's bodily autonomy cannot justify depriving another human being of life.
At the same time, the petition does not provide for abolishing absolutely all medical procedures. The author proposes to retain the right to terminate a pregnancy in the case of a real threat to the mother's life and health, as well as in situations of severe fetal malformations, while proposing to additionally study the criteria in order to remove non-lethal pathologies from the grounds.
In cases of pregnancy resulting from rape, it is proposed to preserve the possibility of the procedure but to reduce the permissible term from 22 to 12 weeks. In this case, the woman must submit an application no later than the 11th week in order to go through the mandatory 10-day period for reflection.
In addition to the restrictions, the petition contains a demand to introduce state financial, medical, psychological and social assistance for women in difficult situations, as well as to strengthen liability for illegal abortions and coercion to undergo them. For the government to officially consider the initiative, the document must gather 25,000 signatures.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein vetoed the law legalizing abortion.
