Administrative court finds penalty for abortion in private practice unlawful

The Istanbul Chamber of Physicians (İTO) has announced a precedent-setting court decision. In a statement released by the İTO, it was announced that the Istanbul 12th Administrative Court has stayed the execution of an "administrative sanction" decision issued against a specialist physician for performing an abortion in their private practice. 

The statement read, "We would like to reiterate our expectation that the Ministry of Health act in accordance with superior legal norms, primarily the Constitution, as well as laws and regulations, and refrain from decisions that restrict the powers granted to physicians by their diplomas and specialty certificates."

According to the statement, the Provincial Health Directorate's notification had claimed that "it was determined that the physician performed an abortion procedure in the private practice, and according to the Ministry of Health's opinion letter dated 18.04.2024, it is not appropriate to perform curettage procedures in private practice conditions in terms of protecting maternal health and patient safety," and it was stated that "a decision was made to suspend the health service regarding the abortion procedure in private practice conditions."