Page 48 - S. Ličen, I. Karnjuš, & M. Prosen (Eds.). (2019). Women, migrations and health: Ensuring transcultural healthcare. Koper, University of Primorska Press.
P. 48
ž Lenarčič and Mateja Sedmak
children, Lipovec Čebron, Zorn, Pistotnik, & Meh (2016) stress that they have
special protection regarding access to the healthcare system. Namely, the
Health Care and Health Insurance Act (Article 15, Point 24) extends the right
to healthcare to all minors enrolled in school, even if they do not have health
insurance, citizenship or permanent residency status.
As the supreme law of the country, the Constitution of the Republic of
Slovenia stipulates in Article 55 that ‘individuals have freedom to decide on
the birth of their own children. The state provides opportunities for exercis-
ing this freedom and creates such conditions as will enable parents to de-
cide to have children.’ This right is governed by the Health Measures in Ex-
ercising Freedom of Choice in Childbearing Act,⁶ which regulates the condi-
tions under which the right of prevention of conception (Chapter II), abortion
(Chapter III), diagnosis and treatment of impaired fertility (Chapter IV) are ex-
ercised. Legislation also dealing with reproductive health is Rules on Carrying
out Preventive Health Care at the Primary Level,⁷ which initially explains that
reproductive health ensures ‘the right to a satisfying and safe sexual life, to
decide freely on childbirth, to equal access to information on family planning
and reproductive health regardless of gender, to safe and effective methods
of family planning and the right to health services which provide women
with a safe pregnancy and childbirth, and effective prevention and early de-
tection of diseases that cause premature morbidity and mortality.’ Further-
more, the document defines the following areas of reproductive health:
– the content of prevention programmes (family planning, use of con-
traceptives, sexually transmitted infections and subsequent infertility,
preventive examinations during pregnancy, examinations and coun-
selling after childbirth, spontaneous and permitted terminations of
pregnancy and ectopic pregnancy, preventive activities for the protec-
tion of reproductive health in nursing care, preventive screening for
the different types of cancer);
– programmed health education and health promotion in primary health-
care for women (guidelines for the protection of reproductive health of
population groups with increased risk, guidelines for health education
work with young people and with women before and after a permitted
abortion and prenatal health education);
⁶ Zakon o zdravstvenih ukrepih pri uresničevanju pravice do svobodnega odločanja o rojstvu
otrok, see http://pisrs.si/Pis.web/pregledPredpisa?id=ZAKO408.
⁷ Pravilnik za izvajanje preventivnega zdravstvenega varstva na primarni ravni, see http://www
.pisrs.si/Pis.web/pregledPredpisa?id=NAVO59.
46
children, Lipovec Čebron, Zorn, Pistotnik, & Meh (2016) stress that they have
special protection regarding access to the healthcare system. Namely, the
Health Care and Health Insurance Act (Article 15, Point 24) extends the right
to healthcare to all minors enrolled in school, even if they do not have health
insurance, citizenship or permanent residency status.
As the supreme law of the country, the Constitution of the Republic of
Slovenia stipulates in Article 55 that ‘individuals have freedom to decide on
the birth of their own children. The state provides opportunities for exercis-
ing this freedom and creates such conditions as will enable parents to de-
cide to have children.’ This right is governed by the Health Measures in Ex-
ercising Freedom of Choice in Childbearing Act,⁶ which regulates the condi-
tions under which the right of prevention of conception (Chapter II), abortion
(Chapter III), diagnosis and treatment of impaired fertility (Chapter IV) are ex-
ercised. Legislation also dealing with reproductive health is Rules on Carrying
out Preventive Health Care at the Primary Level,⁷ which initially explains that
reproductive health ensures ‘the right to a satisfying and safe sexual life, to
decide freely on childbirth, to equal access to information on family planning
and reproductive health regardless of gender, to safe and effective methods
of family planning and the right to health services which provide women
with a safe pregnancy and childbirth, and effective prevention and early de-
tection of diseases that cause premature morbidity and mortality.’ Further-
more, the document defines the following areas of reproductive health:
– the content of prevention programmes (family planning, use of con-
traceptives, sexually transmitted infections and subsequent infertility,
preventive examinations during pregnancy, examinations and coun-
selling after childbirth, spontaneous and permitted terminations of
pregnancy and ectopic pregnancy, preventive activities for the protec-
tion of reproductive health in nursing care, preventive screening for
the different types of cancer);
– programmed health education and health promotion in primary health-
care for women (guidelines for the protection of reproductive health of
population groups with increased risk, guidelines for health education
work with young people and with women before and after a permitted
abortion and prenatal health education);
⁶ Zakon o zdravstvenih ukrepih pri uresničevanju pravice do svobodnega odločanja o rojstvu
otrok, see http://pisrs.si/Pis.web/pregledPredpisa?id=ZAKO408.
⁷ Pravilnik za izvajanje preventivnega zdravstvenega varstva na primarni ravni, see http://www
.pisrs.si/Pis.web/pregledPredpisa?id=NAVO59.
46
