Slovakia rejects bill requiring ultrasound before abortion

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Tlačová agentúra SR

A general view during a Parliamentary session in Bratislava, Slovakia, Friday, Nov. 29, 2019. Lawmakers in Slovakia are scheduled to debate a proposed law that would compel women seeking an abortion to first have an ultrasound and listen to the heartbeat of the embryo or fetus, a move many groups have decried as a backward step for womens rights. The bill was submitted by three members of the conservative Slovak National Party, who wrote that it is intended to ensure that women are informed about the current stage of their pregnancy before having an abortion. (Pavol Zachar/TASR via AP)

LONDON – Lawmakers in Slovakia have rejected a proposed bill that would have made it obligatory for women seeking abortions to first have an ultrasound and obtain the consent of the father before having the procedure.

The bill was submitted by three members of the conservative Slovak National Party. In its initial draft, the bill made it mandatory for women to listen to the fetal heartbeat where possible. After being debated earlier this week, the bill was rejected on Thursday.

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Last month, more than 30 organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, wrote to Slovak parliamentarians expressing their “deep concern” about the proposed law. They warned that if the legislation was adopted, Slovakia would be the only European Union country to impose such requirements on women in countries with legalized abortion.