Israel eases access to abortion, canceling key decades-old mandatory formalities

New rules allow drug-induced early-term abortions at clinics, remove need for approval of intrusive committees; health minister hails reform as opposite to US Supreme Court ruling

The Knesset Labor Welfare and Health Committee on Monday approved new regulations aimed at making it easier for women to get an abortion by removing some of the procedures required, opening up broader and simplified options for those seeking to end a pregnancy.

A key change to the decades-old regulations will see drug-induced early-term abortions made available at HMO clinics rather than only at hospitals, the Health Ministry said in a statement announcing the development.

Women seeking an abortion will no longer have to physically face a review committee that approves abortions. Nixing the committee altogether requires legislation, which is unlikely to pass, but the new regulations mean there will now be no need for applicants to appear in person before the panels.

The application process will be digitized, enabling committee members to have access to all necessary information and at the same time obviating the need for a woman to drop off the paperwork in person. The request form, which in the past has faced criticism for being too invasive and humiliating, will also be updated, with the questionnaire reduced to a minimum and “degrading questions” removed, the statement said.

The form, which dates back to 1977, will no longer include questions that probed whether women or their partners used contraceptives. However, women will still be asked if they had had any previous abortions because the question is deemed to be medically relevant.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-eases-access-to-abortion-canceling-key-decades-old-mandatory-formalities/