Conscientious objection in voluntary interruption of pregnancy. Between the marginalization of professionals and the return of illegal abortion

Law n.194/1978, while legalizing voluntary interruption of pregnancy (VIP) in Italy, introduced the clause of conscientious objection and, since then, many gynaecologists have invoked this right (the so-called pro-life who are opposed to the pro-choice). The hypothesis of this article is twofold and concerns the consequences of conscientious objection: on the one hand, pro-choice gynaecologists experience a form of marginality, in terms of workload, social status and power, resulting in their isolation and stigmatization; on the other, the difficulty of accessing VIP services can lead to the return of illegal abortion. The aim is to imagine what consequences this can bring to both users and professionals and to understand how it will be possible to guarantee a balance between the right to voluntary interruption of pregnancy and that to conscientious objection. In terms of methodology, a literature review, followed by a search for documentary material (Italian and foreign newspapers and websites discussing VIP and conscientious objection) was carried out; moreover, a long interview was conducted with a pro-choice gynaecologist, who represents a symbolic case in the Italian context. Some consideration about the future scenarios close the article.