Israel eases regulations on abortion access as response to Roe v Wade
New changes include more access to abortion pills
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Israel has eased its regulations on abortion access in a move that is a direct response to the US Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v Wade, which it criticised as a decision designed for “oppressing women”.
“The rights to a woman’s body are those of the woman alone,” Israel’s health minister Nitzan Horowitz said in a statement on Monday, announcing the changes.
“The move by the US Supreme Court to deny women control of their bodies is a backward move, oppressing women and setting back the leader of the free and liberal world by a hundred years,” he added.
Abortion pills will now be available at local health clinics called health maintenance organisations (HMOs) instead of only hospitals, in one such major change, reported The Times of Israel.
Those seeking an abortion appointment will now have a shortened and simplified application process to go through as well.
Another significant change is the doing away of the requirement to physically face a review committee that approves abortions.
The process has been criticised by activists in the past for being humiliating and invasive for abortion seekers, despite abortion not being as controversial a subject as it is in the US.
There are only 38 such committees across the country and sometimes there is a longer wait for women seeking abortions to schedule appointments, said The Times of Israel report.
Women usually also face travel and time constraints in accessing the panels.
Experts, however, have pointed out that doing away with review committees altogether will require legislation that is unlikely to pass.
The new regulations will come into effect in three months.
Announcing the new moves, the health minister, who is from a left-leaning political party, said: “We are in a different place, and today we are taking big steps in the right direction.”
“The reform we approved today will create a simpler process, that is more respectful, advanced, and maintains a woman’s right to make decisions over her own body – a basic human right,” he added.
On Friday, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe, stripping away women’s constitutional protections for abortion. The ruling has triggered widespread anger and massive protests across several American states.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments