Italy: Difference between revisions

In Italy, you need a prescription to obtain birth control pills, but you can find condoms with no prescription is required. Emergency contraception (the morning after pill) is available for purchase without a prescription (since 2015), which is a positive update after years of required prescriptions. You can get an STD/STI test at one of the many clinics in the city, and there are some nationwide support networks. Maternity leave of five months is required for all pregnant women who are employed. Abortion is legal during the first 90 days of gestation, and it's free for Italian citizens. Foreigners will need to pay for an abortion procedure. There are many health care professionals who do not provide abortions due to their moral or religious beliefs so, if you need an abortion, it is imperative to secure a physician who is willing to perform the procedure.  

'''Important Note:''' You must confirm a physician that will provide an abortion procedure for you. In Italy, medical care providers are not required to perform abortions. If medical personnel are opposed to abortion on moral or religious groups, they are legally allowed to declare their conscientious objection and they're exempt from performing or assisting in an abortion procedure. Seventy percent of Italian gynecologists (and 83% in some conservative regions) are conscientious objectors so do not perform abortions, as of 2016, and a nationwide survey found that 1,200 gynecologists out of well over 10,000 performed abortions. This means that some women spend considerable time trying to find and secure a gynecologist who is willing to perform the exam. It's critical that you secure a physician that does not hold moral objections and can perform the procedure. For more information about this issue in Italy, check out [http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/world/europe/on-paper-italy-allows-abortions-but-few-doctors-will-perform-them.html this article] and [https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/abortion-legal-italy-conscientious-objectors this article].