Abortion in Slovenia was legalized for the first time in January 1952 and in its current form in July 1977.

Abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...

is available on-demand without further conditions for women whose pregnancies have not exceeded 10 weeks. After the 10th week, it must be approved by a medical committee of the first or second level. From the 22nd week, it is termed stillbirth. The final limit for abortion is 28 weeks. For most women, abortion is free. Minors do not require parental consent before undergoing an abortion. Parents are usually notified unless the minor is already fully emancipated.

Legal history

Abortion was originally legalised in the territory of current Slovenia with a

decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used ...

() in January 1952. In April 1969, the Resolution on Family Planning () defined the politics of voluntary family planning and included abortion as the least desired method of birth control. In February 1974, the freedom of choice in the birth of children was defined in the federal constitution of Yugoslavia. This provision was the basis for the 1977 ''Health Measures in Exercising Freedom of Choice in Childbearing Act'' (). In December 1991, after Slovenia gained independence, a new

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

was adopted which kept the provision in Article 55. According to the Health Services Act () passed in 1992, doctors are allowed to exempt themselves from performing abortions if they disagree with the practice for ethical or religious reasons.

Constitutional aspect

Article 55 of the Slovenian constitution reads: "(Freedom of Choice in Childbearing) Everyone shall be free to decide whether to bear children. The state shall guarantee the opportunities for exercising this freedom and shall create such conditions as will enable parents to decide to bear children." Whether this includes the right to abortion is an unresolved question that could only be definitely answered by the

Constitutional Court of Slovenia The Constitutional Court of Slovenia (in Slovene: ''Ustavno sodišče Republike Slovenije, US RS'') is a special court established by the Slovenian Constitution. Since its inception, the Court has been located in the city of Ljubljana. Jurisdic ...

Epidemiology

The incidence of abortion in Slovenia has been declining. In 2009, 18% of pregnancies in Slovenia ended in abortion, down from a peak of 41.6% in 1982.Historical abortion statistics, Slovenia
/ref> , the abortion rate was 11.5 abortions per 1000 women aged 15–44 years. In 2017, 3,529 abortions were performed, and in 2022, 2,996 abortions were performed.

Methods

Abortion may be surgical or medical. The surgical method is preferred for women prior to the 10th week and those who have already given birth. Medical abortion may be performed in a hospital or under certain conditions at home.

Mifepristone Mifepristone, also known as RU-486, is a medication typically used in combination with misoprostol to bring about a medical abortion during pregnancy and manage early miscarriage. This combination is 97% effective during the first 63 days of ...

(medical abortion) was registered in 2013.

References

{{Abortion 1952 establishments in Slovenia

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

Law of Slovenia Healthcare in Slovenia