Filenews 12 July 2022
The Cyprus Family Planning Association calls on the Health Insurance Organisation (OAY) to proceed with compensation from the GHS for all legal claims for termination of pregnancy, as well as the compensation of contraceptive methods, on the occasion of the discussion at the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights on the safeguarding of women's sexual reproductive rights.
As the Association notes in its announcement, the existing decision of the HIO excludes the choice of the woman to terminate the pregnancy in case 12 weeks have not been completed, while it is limited to when it is the result of rape, incest or sexual abuse and the 19 weeks of pregnancy have not passed, in cases where regardless of the weeks of pregnancy it has been observed that during the prenatal diagnosis there are signs of an abnormality of the foetus and when there is a risk to the health of the woman, either for physical or mental harm, as a result of pregnancy;
This violates basic human rights, goes against the principles of non-discrimination, but also the very vision of the organization which is the "lifelong equal and unhindered access to high quality health care services", the Association says.
"The HIO, with this decision, leads us to previous times, creates inequalities between women, and is an obstacle to women's access to safe and legal abortions," the statement reads, while adding that women who can bear the cost of ending a pregnancy have choices, unlike women who cannot and are forced to proceed with a pregnancy they do not want or to refer to unsafe ways for Termination.
Access to safe and legal abortion is an essential health issue and a human rights issue, the Association stresses, saying that only recently, the European Parliament in a resolution stressed that the "right to abortion should be included in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights", and EU countries should guarantee, among other things, access to safe, legal and free abortion services and voluntary family planning.
"We call on the HIO to swiftly review its decision to compensate for the termination of pregnancy that is now limited to only the three aforementioned cases and also to include the reimbursement of contraceptive methods within the framework of the GHS, thus acknowledging that the decision to terminate a pregnancy cannot be approached like a plastic surgery, which is not 'medically necessary', notes the link.
"The lack of access of women or girls to free termination services of pregnancy and methods of contraception creates a huge 'cost' which disproportionately burdens women and girls, and especially those who are in a vulnerable position," the statement concludes.
