The prosecutor’s office of Padua opened a new case to investigate regarding the abortion carried out in the hospital of the city by the daughter of a surgeon, at the 26th week. The abortion was performed by a gynaecologist of the hospital. The head physician of the Gynaecology Department, Daria Minucci – according to some local newspapers – reported the incident to the magistrates. The mother feared that the baby had deformities, after an ultrasound carried out in Bologna at the beginning of July. But the morphological examination carried out on the baby did not show any deformity.

With this terrible doubt, the woman went to the gynaecologist asking for an abortion and stating that she was at the 22nd week (so within the terms of therapeutic abortion). But after the procedure was performed, the doctor realized that the foetus must have been more than 22 weeks. So now the woman and the gynaecologist will be questioned by the magistrates. The accusation will be of abortion after the terms established by law.

Translated by Chiara Nunnari from John Milton Institute