DEM deputy questions de facto abortion ban in Diyarbakır hospitals

An opposition deputy has submitted a parliamentary question regarding allegations of a de facto ban on elective abortions in the southeastern Diyarbakır city.

The parliamentary action from Adalet Kaya, the People's Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party deputy, follows a report by Gazete Duvar, revealing that most public and private hospitals in Diyarbakır do not perform elective abortions, despite this being a legal right in Turkey.

The report detailed that out of 11 public hospitals in Diyarbakır, nine have an outright ban on abortions, and the remaining two only perform the procedure if the pregnancy poses a health risk and the husband consents. In some cases, hospital staff have cited religious reasons for the ban, with one hospital secretary quoted as saying, "Our doctor will not bear the sin and responsibility of such an act."

In response to these findings, Kaya directed several questions to Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu, asking for the reason for the de facto abortion ban and numbers of accepted and rejected abortion applications.

Kaya also questioned whether the ban in Diyarbakır hospitals was a result of local authorities' initiatives or if the Health Ministry had given such an instruction. 

(EMK/VK)