Italy Blocks Reproductive Health Websites Women on Web and Women Help Women • Hacker News Board

Re: Italy Blocks Reproductive Health Websites Women on Web and Women Help Women

#21

Post by altern8 » Tue, Jul 28, 2026, 4:13 PM UTC

gpderetta wrote: post #17

altern8 wrote: post #6

I couldn't find a lot of information, but abortion is a right in Italy. Women seeking terminations in the first 90 days of pregnancy are protected under law 194. From what I got, these organizations illegally sent women abortion pills. At least when I was young and still living in Italy, you could walk into a hospital and they'd give you abortion pills or day after pills for free. I guess it has to be a hospital/doct…

It is indeed legal, but gynaecologists can object to help for conscientious reasons (65% do) and in quite a few hospitals, 100% do object, especially in the south. So in practice access to it is not always that easy.

That's because they don't want to get sued.

So, you think the government should force doctors to perform abortions, like putting them in jail if they don't want to do it?

Re: Italy Blocks Reproductive Health Websites Women on Web and Women Help Women

#22

Post by altern8 » Tue, Jul 28, 2026, 4:14 PM UTC

fhdkweig wrote: post #9

skrebbel wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> crotchety old men Such as Giorgia Meloni?

I don't know what is going on in Italy, but that's why we are doing it in America.

Oh, a post about Italy. Let's take this opportunity to talk about America :-D

Re: Italy Blocks Reproductive Health Websites Women on Web and Women Help Women

#23

Post by mistrial9 » Tue, Jul 28, 2026, 4:15 PM UTC

eur0pa wrote: post #20

lelanthran wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> As to why these two websites were rendered inaccessible it beats me, as there are many other local alternatives one may peruse, and they're all accessible. Because, presumably, abortion is legal only in specific circumstances (first trimester, I imagine) and these websites are bypassing that. FTFA: > Today, Women on Web facilitates online access to abortion pills I'd expect any website that provides access to non-o…

Ah that does it. Abortion pills are not candies. There's a reason why they are expected to be used in a hospital setting, with medical personnel nearby. If these websites facilitate the distribution of prescription meds, they're no different from other "online pharmacies" and get the same treatment

in this part of the world, Mexico is known for public pharmacies that sell wildly-strong drugs of different kinds easily.. I doubt there are any websites that list what you can actually get if you walk in with cash

Re: Italy Blocks Reproductive Health Websites Women on Web and Women Help Women

#24

Post by lelanthran » Tue, Jul 28, 2026, 4:15 PM UTC

altern8 wrote: post #21

gpderetta wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is indeed legal, but gynaecologists can object to help for conscientious reasons (65% do) and in quite a few hospitals, 100% do object, especially in the south. So in practice access to it is not always that easy.

That's because they don't want to get sued. So, you think the government should force doctors to perform abortions, like putting them in jail if they don't want to do it?

I don't think GP was making that argument (well, I didn't read it that way). He's just saying that access may not be easy.

[EDIT: I see GP did reply to parent, and he apparently was making that asinine argument :-/ Oh well, at least I interpreted original GP comment charitably]

Re: Italy Blocks Reproductive Health Websites Women on Web and Women Help Women

#25

Post by eur0pa » Tue, Jul 28, 2026, 4:15 PM UTC

flaviolivolsi wrote: post #15

eur0pa wrote: post #8

Abortion is legal in this country, and any woman can go to the hospital (as in the ER), or at a consultorio familiare to initiate the process. Both options are free of charge and free of judgement, especially the latter. As to why these two websites were rendered inaccessible it beats me, as there are many other local alternatives one may peruse, and they're all accessible. Hell, even the Italian Government Website h…

"Both options are free of charge and free of judgement, especially the latter" You sure about that? Unfortunately there's a thing called "obiezione di coscienza" (TL;DR: doctors opposing abortion because they're catholics). Feel free to translate this article: https://www.editorialedomani.it/fatti/aborto-obiezione-cosci...

Finding an obiettore is a somewhat rare circumstance in a hospital, but it's unlikely in a consultorio familiare; those are structures whose only purpose is reproductive health, gynecological care, social services, and psychological consult, especially aimed at teens and women. If you're an objector you generally don't go out of your way to work there.

Re: Italy Blocks Reproductive Health Websites Women on Web and Women Help Women

#26

Post by gpderetta » Tue, Jul 28, 2026, 4:16 PM UTC

altern8 wrote: post #21

gpderetta wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is indeed legal, but gynaecologists can object to help for conscientious reasons (65% do) and in quite a few hospitals, 100% do object, especially in the south. So in practice access to it is not always that easy.

That's because they don't want to get sued. So, you think the government should force doctors to perform abortions, like putting them in jail if they don't want to do it?

how's that different from any other medical procedure?

Re: Italy Blocks Reproductive Health Websites Women on Web and Women Help Women

#27

Post by lelanthran » Tue, Jul 28, 2026, 4:16 PM UTC

gpderetta wrote: post #17

altern8 wrote: post #6

I couldn't find a lot of information, but abortion is a right in Italy. Women seeking terminations in the first 90 days of pregnancy are protected under law 194. From what I got, these organizations illegally sent women abortion pills. At least when I was young and still living in Italy, you could walk into a hospital and they'd give you abortion pills or day after pills for free. I guess it has to be a hospital/doct…

It is indeed legal, but gynaecologists can object to help for conscientious reasons (65% do) and in quite a few hospitals, 100% do object, especially in the south. So in practice access to it is not always that easy.

> So in practice access to it is not always that easy.

Understood, but the solution cannot be "allow prescription drugs to be sold online".

If access is not easy, there needs to be a different solution.

Re: Italy Blocks Reproductive Health Websites Women on Web and Women Help Women

#28

Post by petcat » Tue, Jul 28, 2026, 4:16 PM UTC

It's bizarre to me that countries in Europe can just compel their ISPs to block websites completely without any judicial review. That kind of thing would run afoul of all kinds of first amendment litigation in the US. The FBI will occasionally seize a domain, but only after a court order.

Re: Italy Blocks Reproductive Health Websites Women on Web and Women Help Women

#29

Post by sllewely » Tue, Jul 28, 2026, 4:16 PM UTC

altern8 wrote: post #19

flaviolivolsi wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Both options are free of charge and free of judgement, especially the latter" You sure about that? Unfortunately there's a thing called "obiezione di coscienza" (TL;DR: doctors opposing abortion because they're catholics). Feel free to translate this article: https://www.editorialedomani.it/fatti/aborto-obiezione-cosci...

That's like 1 out of 1000 doctors, just go to another doctor. And even if that wasn't the case, what is the government supposed to do about that?

Read the article. It's 67% of registered obgyns and fully 100% of some hospitals. Why would you believe it's 1 of 1000 in a world where countries consistently successfully create legislature targeting women?

Re: Italy Blocks Reproductive Health Websites Women on Web and Women Help Women

#30

Post by timpera » Tue, Jul 28, 2026, 4:17 PM UTC

altern8 wrote: post #19

flaviolivolsi wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Both options are free of charge and free of judgement, especially the latter" You sure about that? Unfortunately there's a thing called "obiezione di coscienza" (TL;DR: doctors opposing abortion because they're catholics). Feel free to translate this article: https://www.editorialedomani.it/fatti/aborto-obiezione-cosci...

That's like 1 out of 1000 doctors, just go to another doctor. And even if that wasn't the case, what is the government supposed to do about that?

> In 2019, it was reported that 67% of Italian gynecologists were registered as conscientious objectors and multiple hospitals reported having a 100% conscientious objection rate.