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VOLUNTARY EARLY ABORTION IN ITALY (IVG)

According to the Italian law, L.194/78

In Italy, abortion is regulated by Law 194/78 and, when voluntary, is possible until day 90, meaning week 12 plus 6 days, for reasons related to the pregnant person’s choice or health. Here we help you to figure out how to deal with it.

What should I do in case of unprotected sex?

If you’ve had unprotected sex, that is, without protection (condom, diaphragm, birth control pill, etc.), you can go to a farmacia (pharmacy) as soon as possible and within 120 hours and ask for the so-called “pillola dei 5 giorni dopo” (morning-after pill) containing ulipristal acetate (examples on the market are EllaOne or Lencya). It can be purchased without a prescription, even if you’re a minor. Keep in mind that you may need to visit more than one pharmacy, depending on where you live.

What to do in case your period is late?

If your period is late, and you think you are pregnant, go to a farmacia (pharmacy) or to a supermarket and buy a test di gravidanza (home pregnancy test). Have you already checked our page How far along am I? It will help you understand how to guess your pregnancy status and what your options are, in case the test is positive.

What to do in case you want to have an abortion

If the test result is positive and you decide to get an abortion, these are the steps to follow:

  1.  locate through our map an abortion point (hospital or clinic) in the area of Italy that interests you by filtering for “IVG Entro 90 giorni“;
  2. Check the info box to get additional information on what their procedure is, as each place has a different one;
  3. If there is no additional information on the map for the facility you are interested in, call the number listed and ask them for information directly, or go there.

Some facilities require you to produce documentation before giving you a first appointment, while others will do it for you on the spot.

If the facility that you have chosen wants you to have documentation ready to give you the appointment, you have to submit two main documents:

  1. A formal report confirming the ongoing pregnancy, which a private lab can issue, the result is usually given on the same day and is based on your Beta HCG:

    • By bringing the first morning urine and asking for a pregnancy test;
    • By taking a Beta HCG blood test. Fasting is not necessary for this test. This second method is the one usually most requested.

    Beta HCG is the scientific term for the proteins produced by the placenta during a pregnancy. You can get the tests for free with a doctor’s prescription (ricetta) or go to a private lab and pay for them; they cost around 20 euros.

  2. A certificate signed both by a doctor and you, called Certificato di IVG (abortion certificate), stating that you are pregnant and wish to get an abortion. It can be issued by:

    • A doctor, like your medicə di base (family doctor/general practitioner) or gynaecologist. We recommend that, before you go to their office, you call them and ask if they are available to give you the certificate or if they are obiettore/obiettrice di coscienza (conscientious objectors). However, any doctor you trust should do it, even an orthopaedist;
    • A consultorio (family counselling centre) in your area. This option is the easiest, since many family counselling centres are linked to or located within a hospital that performs voluntary interruptions of pregnancy (IVG), so by issuing you the certificate, they can also take the appointment for you. If the certificate is issued to you by a private doctor, you will be the one calling the hospital to get the appointment.

If a doctor denies the certificate and motivates their rejection with obiezione di coscienza, they’re acting against the law.

Depending on the stage of your pregnancy, you can choose whether to have a medical or surgical abortion.

What if I am a minor?

You can access the voluntary termination of an early pregnancy (IVG) service in two ways:

  1. By obtaining a signed consent from your legal guardian(s), if you think you will get support. In case you have two parents who are your legal guardians, you will need both signatures;
  2. Through a formal request to a giudice tutelare (guardianship judge) sent by doctors, who will authorise the voluntary termination of pregnancy (IVG) without notifying your guardian(s). In the latter case, we recommend that you go to a consultorio (family counselling centre), because a private doctor may not be familiar with the procedure and might take much longer.

What if I am a foreign national?

Visit our page, especially dedicated! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to write to us!

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS IS NOT A LEGALLY VALIDATED TRANSLATION – “In addition to guaranteeing the necessary medical examinations, the counselling centre and the socio-healthcare facility have the duty in all cases to examine with the woman and with the father of the conceived child, where the woman consents, with full respect for the dignity and confidentiality of the woman and of the person indicated as the father of the conceived child, the possible solutions to the issues raised; to help remove the causes that might lead her to terminate the pregnancy; to enable her to assert her rights as a worker and as a mother; and to promote any appropriate intervention aimed at supporting the woman, offering all necessary assistance both during pregnancy and after childbirth. This must be done especially when the request for termination of pregnancy is motivated by the impact of economic, social or family conditions on the health of the pregnant person.

When the woman turns to a doctor of her choice, the doctor carries out the necessary health examinations, with respect for the dignity and freedom of the woman; evaluates with the woman herself and with the father of the conceived child, where the woman consents, with respect for the dignity and confidentiality of the woman and of the person indicated as the father of the conceived child, also based on the results of the above-mentioned examinations, the circumstances leading her to request termination of the pregnancy; informs her of her rights and of the social support measures she may access, as well as of the counselling centres and socio-healthcare facilities.

When the doctor at the counselling centre or socio-healthcare facility, or the doctor of choice, identifies conditions that make the intervention urgent, they immediately issue a certificate attesting to the urgency. With this certificate, the woman may present herself at one of the authorised facilities to obtain termination of the pregnancy.

If no urgent condition is identified, at the end of the consultation the doctor at the counselling centre or socio-healthcare facility, or the doctor of choice, in response to the woman’s request to terminate the pregnancy on the basis of the circumstances referred to in Article 4, issues her with a copy of a document, also signed by the woman, certifying the state of pregnancy and the request made, and invites her to wait for seven days. After the seven days have elapsed, the woman may present herself, in order to obtain termination of the pregnancy, on the basis of the document issued pursuant to this paragraph, at one of the authorised facilities.”