I live in a Catholic country. The numbers vary depending on the source (and let’s not debate practicing vs non-, or non-traditional, progressive, and so on), but look at it this way—the Catholic Church, and Catholic churches, are extremely visible in Italy. Italy is a Catholic country.
And abortion has been legal here since 1978.
According to public health site EpiCentro, Law 194 states that “all women are eligible to request an abortion during the first 90 days of gestation for health, economic, social, or familial reasons.” Yes, there’s red tape. Yes, practices differ greatly between regions in the north and south. Yes, doctors can opt-out as conscientious objectors, and according to this story, 68 percent of them do.
So it may not be simple to get an abortion in Italy, but it’s legal. And it’s free.
When I first moved to Italy (in 2018), people often asked me, in disbelief, why I would choose to live here rather than in the U.S. Within a year, I no longer heard that question. The incredulity is still there, but it’s not about “America, rich land of opportunity” anymore. The disbelief I hear voiced these days is the same as mine: “What the f---, America?”
America says it’s okay for women to have no autonomy. Their bodies are not their own. It’s okay for a woman to end up with 12 children, possibly with little or no family support, in a financially disastrous situation. It’s okay for an 11-year-old to become a mother, whether her pregnancy is the result of her own immaturity or a violent act, and thus have extremely reduced options for a career or even, possibly, a healthy life. It’s okay for brilliant women to give up college dreams. It’s okay for women to give up everything.
I saw a meme on Twitter yesterday that said something to this effect: do you think abortion would be illegal if every time men had sex they had to fear death, forced parenthood, the end of their careers, and the sacrifice of their dreams?
Here’s what the new reality is in the U.S. unless the American people say NO at the polls in November. (I know you know this, but I’m rage-writing here.)
Forced pregnancy in a society that provides little or no access to affordable healthcare, childcare, and childhood education.
Forced pregnancy in cases where lack of abortion means certain death for the mother (for example, ectopic pregnancies or miscarriages that don’t spontaneously leave the body, leading to massive infection).
Forced pregnancy in cases of rape and incest.
Forced pregnancy despite the fact that WOMEN ARE HUMAN BEINGS WITH THE RIGHT TO MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT THEIR OWN BODIES, NO QUESTIONS ASKED.
America, land of the free? I think not. Home of the brave? If you mean women, then hell yes.