A decree published in mid-December allows midwives to perform instrumental abortions in hospitals equipped to handle extremely rare complications. This text thus requires the presence of “a doctor specializing in orthogenics, a gynecologist-obstetrician, an anesthetist and an embolization tray” in the establishment, conditions to which only “large maternity hospitals” meet , underlines Caroline Combot, president of the national trade union organization of midwives (ONSSF), to AFP.
Request for repeal of the decree
These requirements are not required for abortions which are performed by a doctor, notes the ONSSF which requests that “the standards requested be the same” for midwives and doctors in the exercise of abortion.
In mid-February, the organization filed with the Ministry of Labor, Health and Solidarity “a free appeal requesting the repeal of this decree” which it considers “restrictive” and “counterproductive”. “This text does not achieve its objective by not developing the offer in deficit territories and poses an unacceptable difference in treatment between medical professions,” believes the organization. Since 2016, midwives can also perform medical abortions.
The revaluation of abortion prices welcomed
The ONSSF, however, welcomes the revaluation on Saturday of the abortion prices, covered by Health Insurance, which had not been increased since 2016. Under a decree published on Saturday in the Official Journal, the “packages” which include all treatment for abortion in health establishments (procedure, consultations, ultrasounds, etc.) have been increased by 25%. For example, the price of an instrumental abortion in hospital, with general anesthesia and overnight hospitalization now amounts to 830.06 euros, compared to 664.05 previously.
Professionals have been calling for this increase for a long time, to encourage more practitioners to get involved, while access to abortion is today hampered in certain areas by the lack of trained caregivers.
Parliament meets Monday in Congress at the Château de Versailles to make France the first country in the world to explicitly include voluntary termination of pregnancy (IVG) in its Constitution and protect the right to abortion, which is declining in a number of countries. .