The number of ‘voluntary interruptions of pregnancy’ undertaken in Portugal between March and June fell a staggering 40% on figures for the same period last year.
Health authorities concede there has been a constant fall in the number of abortions performed in recent years, but the pandemic has seen a “very abrupt decrease” not least because there have been hospitals that have simply stopped performing them, like Lisbon’s Santa Maria.
Explain reports, in cases where women have been refused SNS terminations, they have been performed by private hospitals under a special protocol with the health service.
