Only 9 Hospitals in 12 Cities Perform Abortion Lawfully

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Abortion is performed in line with law only in nine hospitals out of 184 public hospitals in 12 cities of Turkey. 12 women organizations that are component of Women Shelters and Solidarity Centers Congress phoning the public hospitals of the cities where they are located and asked whether abortion is performed in the hospital.

Even though it was said that abortion can be performed in 74 out of the 184 public hospitals, it has come to light that only nine hospitals in Ankara, İzmir, and İstanbul perform abortion lawfully.

While officers at some hospital say that the law has changed and “abortion is unlawful”, officers at four hospitals in Muğla said abortion cannot be performed without order of bylaw and/or prosecution. At a hospital in Ankara, not performing abortion is explained as “This is the order issued by the Ministry”.

Allegations: "Doctors don't want", "Order issued by the Ministry"... 

In some cities which were subject to the research, the reasons of not performing abortion are explained as follows:

Bursa: Three hospitals said they don’t have the section of gynecology. One hospital stated the doctor doesn’t want to perform it since “there isn’t many tools”.

Çanakkale: Two hospitals’ excuse was patients’ lack of qualitative features, and one hospital refused the operation due to “doctor’s religious beliefs”.

İzmir: The reasons for not performing abortion are listed as follows: One hospital was training and research hospital, two hospitals didn’t have gynecology unit, one hospital was just a polyclinic, one hospital moved its family planning unit, two hospitals are not “big hospitals”, and one hospital doesn’t have a unit as to gynecological diseases.

Muğla: One hospital had insufficient equipment.

Muş: Two hospitals stated they didn’t have gynecologist, and that doctors in another hospital don’t want to perform it.

Urfa: One hospital said there was no doctor to perform abortion.

Van: Two hospitals told the doctors don’t want to perform abortion, and that another hospital didn’t have doctor.

The Ministry of Health had stated that there is no obstacle before abortion. (ÇT/TK)