Coalition MPs not to support proposal to require women to have counselling before abortion

RIGA - Partners in Latvia's government coalition have agreed not to support the opposition's proposal to amend the Law on Sexual and Reproductive Health to restrict the right to abortion, Edmunds Jurevics (New Unity), chair of the New Unity faction in the Saeima, told LETA after the weekly coalition meeting on Monday.

The MP said he was "quite sure" that a majority of the Saeima would reject such proposals. "Today, all three coalition partners confirmed that they will not support such proposals," the lawmaker said.

It is obvious that Latvia is living in the 21st century, not the Middle Ages, and such proposals are based on a medieval notion and could not be supported in any way, Jurevics said.

"They have nothing to do with the actual reality in Latvia," Jurevics said, stressing that the number of abortions performed in Latvia is decreasing.

"In any case, the choice of whether or not to have an abortion is entirely a woman's personal choice," the lawmaker continued.

Andris Suvajevs, chair of the Progressives' faction in the Saeima, said that the Progressives would not support such proposals.

"This is a direct attack on women's rights," Suvajevs said, noting that it was also not surprising that such proposals were appearing at a time when Latvia was planning to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention.

"I think we will see more proposals like this, which will try to restrict both the protection of women and women's rights," Suvajevs said.

Economics Minister Viktors Valainis (Greens/Farmers) said that it was difficult for him to comment on the motivation of the MPs who submitted these proposals, but "there are definitely a lot of things that have not been thought out properly". According to Valainis, the Union of Greens and Farmers Union cannot support such proposals.

Opposition MPs Jurgis Klotins (National Alliance), Janis Grasbergs (National Alliance) and Ramona Petravica (Latvia First), have submitted proposals to amend the Law Sexual and Reproductive Health, calling for mandatory counselling for women who choose to terminate their pregnancy.

The MPs propose adding the term "unborn life" to the law, which would mean "human life that begins at the moment of fertilization with the fusion of the male and female gametes".

The opposition politicians want the law to require that a pregnant woman who wishes to terminate her pregnancy artificially, as well as the father of the unborn child, should be given the opportunity by the state to receive counselling from a trained specialist.

The Cabinet of Ministers would lay down the requirements for training such specialists, the content of the counselling training program and the procedure for training the specialists, as well as the procedure for informing about the possibility of receiving counselling and the guidelines for conducting the counselling.

At present, such counselling can be provided by a general practitioner, a psychotherapist, a gynecologist or another medical practitioner, but the MPs believe that the scope of those eligible to provide counselling should be broadened. According to the opposition MPs, psychotherapy specialists, psychology specialists, doulas and emotional support specialists for parents could also provide counselling to the women seeking an abortion.

The MPs argue that they intend such counselling to be provided "without lecturing or patronizing attitudes". The outcome would not be predetermined, but would be determined by the pregnant woman herself. "The consultation would serve to support the pregnant woman and protect the life of the unborn. It should be based on efforts to encourage the continuation of the pregnancy and to open up the prospect of life with a child," the MPs said.

According to the MPs' proposal, "after the pregnancy conflict counselling is completed, the specialist would issue a certificate of the pregnant woman's participation in the counselling".

At present, the law already provides that a pregnant woman may receive such counselling if she so wishes. The proponents of the amendment consider that the law needs to do more to "protect unborn life", and that it would therefore be more appropriate to make counselling compulsory in certain cases.