Liguria. Was the agenda was rejected in the regional council presented by all the opposition forces that would have committed the Toti junta to “do not exercise” the faculty provided for by the amendment to the Pnrr decree, already converted into law, which allows the Regions to make use of “third sector entities who have qualified experience in maternity support”.
The Health Councilor Angelo Gratarola asked to withdraw the document to delve deeper into the topic later with Alisa’s contribution: “Given that the inserted rule has not been published to date – he argued – it is specified that law 194 already provides that family counseling centers can make use of the voluntary collaboration of suitable basic social training and voluntary associations. The law in question would seem more like a repetition of what legally already exists than a true innovation of the system”.
But the minority, as was to be expected on the eve of the session, wanted to continue the discussion. And in the end, despite the various “secular” souls within it, the centre-right majority was rather compact: 17 votes against, only one abstention (that of the councillor Mabel Riolfowho recently left the League to join the mixed group) and 12 in favorcoinciding with the signatories of the agenda.
“Once again, after 46 years from the entry into force of law 194, an attempt is made to attack the heart of the law, namely the right to self-determination of women and to the informed and conscious choice of motherhood – we read in the premises of the agenda, presented in the chamber by Selena Candia of the Sansa List -. The law already provides for the care of users by specialists to accompany them in their choice and the presence of third sector associations pro life and anti-abortionists would not only burden their path, but it could compromising the confidentiality that this choice requires“.
“The right to choose cannot be influenced by anyone, if you are liberal, approve it,” he added Luca Garibaldi of the Democratic Party. For Gianni Pastorino of Linea Condivisa “in this country there is a habit of going back because there is a total lack of secular culture”. “In Rome vote not to touch law 194 and then in the regions give the opportunity to enter the clinics to an association that has declared itself disappointed by the government because it does not touch the law on abortion,” he attacked Fabio Tosi, leader of the 5 Star Movement.
The intervention of Pippo Rossetti, former PD Action councilor: “I belong to a religion, a faith, a conscience for which I belong to a religion, conscience, faith for which the gift of life is an unavailable good, but I signed this document. Imagining that we can delegate to voluntary associations the actions necessary to prevent people from reaching this decision is a mockery. We know that couples who go to counseling have enormous problems that cannot be addressed by voluntary associations, it’s ridiculous. This Region has debased the consultants. Speaking of associations to support motherhood we identify only a few, those against it, which have characterized themselves as countering the phenomenon of pregnancy interruption: to think that they can offer them the answers that women cannot find is false and hypocritical”.
“I am not a conscientious objector and in my professional life in the ASL 2 Savonese I have performed anesthesia on around a thousand women who have chosen termination of pregnancy – he said Brunello Brunetto of the League, president of the Health commission -. I saw some arrive at the hospital with a swollen eye, others with a smile on their faces. Without prejudice to the fact that law 194 on abortion is a right that cannot be touched, I believe that it is not democratic to close the door to pro-life associations in clinics as envisaged by the Government. Because with this provision a wider spectrum of free choice opens up for women who, more knowingly, can reevaluate or confirm their decisions, which in any case must always be respected”.
“To have true freedom of choice even in the clinics it is necessary to be equidistant – she intervened Mabel Riolfo, former Lega, announcing that he would not vote for the measure -, Some pro-life movements were calling for the repeal of the law on abortion and I understand that their presence could be seen as an interference. At the same time I think that women do not need to be conditioned and must find qualified and professional staff.”
There were several contrary interventions from the majority, many from women. “Let’s give one more chance for reasoning,” he underlined Veronica Russo of Brothers of Italy. “Why not lend a hand to a woman in difficulty?”, she asked herself Lilli Lauro of the Toti List. “Liguria cannot disapply a national law,” they contested Stefano Balleari (Brothers of Italy) e Angelo Vaccarezza (Forza Italia).
Yesterday the president Giovanni Toti he stated that “Liguria will not take a step back on the full, round and complete application of 194just as every activity within the places set up for the application of that law must be done first of all to protect women. Today, however, the governor did not intervene in the debate, despite being present in the chamber.
