Gov't offers more support for pregnant women

The length of time from when a woman announces she wants an abortion to the time the termination takes place could increase from three to five days.

Georgia’s Minister of Labor, Health and Social Protection Davit Sergeenko will introduce this idea at today’s Government meeting.

He believed three days was not enough time for women to make an informed decision about keeping and raising a baby or terminating it. He believed women needed more time think about the consequences of the situation and thoroughly discuss their options before going through with a termination.

"For this reason we have decided to amend and refine this law. As well as increasing the pre-abortion period, [women in this situation] will be required to attend more expert consultations, which will help women make the right decision,” Sergeenko said.

At today’s Government meeting, authorities will discuss the issue and decide on whether to adopt this change or not.

Meanwhile, Georgia had the highest number of abortions in the South Caucasus region. A 2010 survey on reproductive health in Georgia found women had, on average, 1.6 abortions in their lifetime.

In 2012, Georgian parents used selective abortion to terminate the pregnancies of 1,151 unborn girls.