| Abstract |
The capability of an adolescent woman to make a decision on the continuation or termination of her pregnancy has caused serious debates worldwide. The conflict reflects the pros and cons of the two extreme positions in this issue; the one which considers the adolescent woman to be mature enough to make a decision on her own for health care matters versus the other which considers that the participation of the parents and/or adult partner is necessary. This study aimed: a) to assess the adolescent womans capability to give an ethically and legally valid consent in order to terminate her pregnancy and b) to investigate various other related social and legal issues. Along these lines it was attempted an analysis on the definitions of consent, adolescence, and abortion according to the national and international legal systems as well as a systematic review of their implementation into the current medical practice and deontology. In addition, a study was conducted among adolescent pregnant women using questionnaires from 2000-2003 in order to investigate the profile and the perceptions of adolescent women seeking abortion in Greece. The Greek legal order is defective in the matters related to the capability of adolescent women to give consent for terminating their pregnancy. In particular, it is necessary the clarification of the law when pregnancy is a result of adolescents rape from those having parental responsibility. The legislator appears to slur the discrimination of the penal code and considers that the adolescent womans consent is necessary and by inference valid. Abortion is prohibited in a woman of any age without her consent regardless of the circumstances under which the pregnancy occurred. The pregnant woman, even the adolescent, holds the absolute right on the fate of the foetus and it is her own responsibility to decide on the termination or not of her pregnancy. The parents or those having the parental responsibility cannot enforce her to decide against her will.
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Η αξία της συναίνεσης της ανήλικου στην άμβλωση
