L.A.I.G.A. works to protect fundamental rights: the rights of healthcare professionals who apply Law 194/1978, and the rights of people who exercise their right to access abortion care, including therapeutic abortion.

Mission

Our goals are to:

• Ensure the correct application of Law 194/1978, monitoring compliance with the rights of individuals and the legal duties of healthcare facilities.

• Monitor working conditions between objecting and non-objecting staff, reporting discrimination and promoting fairness and equal opportunities.

• Provide technical, professional, and legal support to healthcare professionals who apply Law 194, particularly in contexts marked by mobbing, pressure, discrimination, or professional isolation.

• Protect and support people accessing abortion services (IVG and ITG), with particular attention to complex and vulnerable situations.

• Maintain an up-to-date mapping of healthcare facilities where abortion care is available, both within and beyond 90 days, to make information truly accessible.

• Build a national network of professionals who apply Law 194, fostering the exchange of skills, information, and mutual support.

• Carry out advocacy to improve the service, including concrete proposals such as the recognition of the additional psychological burden involved and appropriate compensatory measures.

We believe that L.A.I.G.A. should be a shared space for everyone who supports the right to abortion and does not wish to feel isolated within a political and cultural landscape that is often hostile.
We offer listening, exchange, and support, also through close collaboration with other national and local organisations, both formal and informal, working on these issues.

How we achieve it

L.A.I.G.A. works every day to make the right to voluntary termination of pregnancy effective and to support those who apply Law 194/1978 within the healthcare system. One of our most visible public tools is our map, which we explain in our About section.

Moreover, we organise congresses, press conferences, and public discussions, and we promote research, public outreach, and collaborations with Italian and European organisations. Our aim is to bring visibility to the experience of those who ensure abortion care and to strengthen the quality and sustainability of IVG/ITG services.

Away from the spotlight, we have contributed to two major legal victories at the European level:

• The collective complaint with IPPF EN (No. 87/2012, declared admissible in 2014, read here);

• The collective complaint with CGIL (No. 91/2013, declared admissible in 2016, read here).

These outcomes demonstrate the value of cooperation between associations, structured organisations, and healthcare professionals. As a result of these actions, in April 2022, the European Committee of Social Rights formally recognised the violation of the right to health and the principle of non-discrimination, confirming that Italy does not fully guarantee access to abortion.

Italy is now under monitoring. In the event of continued non-compliance, the European Union may initiate infringement proceedings, potentially leading to legal and economic consequences.

Some of our latest significant public engagements include national/international campaigns such as Ritratti di famiglia (plurality of families/family diversity), My Voice My Choice, and #IVGsenzaMA.