Romania

Human Rights Watch is gravely disappointed that Romania has failed to accept other recommendations on measures critical to the full realization of sexual and reproductive health rights. Although the law permits on-request abortion up to 14 weeks of pregnancy, public hospitals increasingly refuse access to it. Doctors regularly invoke so-called conscientious objection to deny abortion care without any legal obligation to refer patients elsewhere for time-sensitive services. Continued exclusion of on-request abortion from coverage by the National Health Insurance Fund further inhibits access. Decreasing public abortion care services pushes women and girls to private clinics, but cost and lack of availability present obstacles, particularly for adolescents, rural communities, and those living in poverty or otherwise