Court bars Sicily from recruiting doctors for abortions

The Italian Constitutional Court has ruled that the region of Sicily may not reserve jobs for health professionals willing to perform abortions. However, it also noted that there are other ways to ensure the availability of the service.

The dispute arose after Sicily passed a law requiring the creation of specialised departments and the recruitment of staff for such procedures.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government challenged the measure, arguing that it discriminates against health professionals who refuse to perform abortions on ethical or religious grounds. The court sided with the government, stressing that such recruitment criteria were not in line with fundamental principles.

However, it also pointed to the possibility of public hospitals working with private facilities to ensure access to abortion. It added that recruitment alone did not guarantee the availability of the service, as health workers could still refuse to perform the procedure after taking up their posts.

Abortion has been legal in Italy since 1978, but access remains uneven, particularly in the south of the country. In Sicily, fewer than half of hospitals offer the procedure, according to available data.

(reuters, max)