Abortion in Cattala

Abortion in Cattala has always been a contentious issue. It remained completely illegal until 1994, with the sale of poisons used in abortions being a criminal offence and the practice of aborting a foetus being punishable by imprisonment and the stripping of medical licenses. Hidden abortion clinics, most notably in Jennai, were regularly raided by police and shut down, with one doctor being imprisoned for 15 years after being found to have conducted more than 1000 abortions over many years. Thousands of young women are believed to have died as a result of illegal, unsafe, abortions since 1918, but exact numbers will never be known.

In the early 1990s, a campaign was led to legalise abortion for women with medical or psychological needs for the procedure, following the death of Mary Illoas, an Ionian citizen who stabbed herself in a hospital after being refused abortions by doctors. She was 38 weeks pregnant, and was suffering from an obstetrical haemorrhage which was going to kill her and the baby. A women's rights march was held in Jennai and Celeste, with tens of thousands of women turning out to march for the right to an abortion in Cattala, as figures emerged that thousands of women were travelling to mainland Europe for abortions. The government was condemned for failing to act on public demand, and after three months of protests and debate, a referendum was held on legalising abortion.

The campaign was fought viciously by both sides of the debate. The Church of Cattala, Cattolica Conservatori party and rural politicians and judges strongly opposed the legalisation of abortion, with many arguing that abortion constitutes murder and threats by senior members of the government and judiciary threatening to resign over the prospect of abortion being legalised. The anti-abortion campaign was split between members of the Church and right-wing who argued that any abortion is wrong, and more moderate judges and some medical professionals who believed that it should be legalised in cases where the woman's medical or psychological needs would be impacted severely. The pro-choice campaign believed all women should have the right to abortion, but struggled to resolve internal conflict between liberals who supported a complete legalisation and those who agreed more with doctors, that only some cases should be allowed.

The turning point of the campaign was when a march by pro-choice campaigners was organised covertly in Celeste. Police were not informed of the intention for a rally outside the Victoria Palace, the residence of the pregnant Queen. The rally was attended by several thousand women arguing for a complete legalisation of abortion. When police arrived in large numbers to move the demonstration away, fighting broke out and a pregnant police constable was thrown to the ground. The police began forming a line to protect the officer, but were attacked by the campaigners and 25 officers required hospital treatment. Queen Alexandra, upon hearing of the fighting, instructed her White Guards of the Realm, her personal body guards, to assist the police, despite objections from courtiers. The White Guards, who are armed, forced back the protesters and cleared the way for the injured female constable to be bought into the Palace and treated.

The pro-choice campaign was condemned by the government and the Queen, the first time the monarchy had publicly criticised an organisation for many decades. The campaign collapsed and the referendum became an issue of partial legalisation or no legalisation. The ballot was split, with partial legalisation supported by 53% of the public. The Church and the Palace protest were recognised as the key reason legalisation was limited to medical and psychological reasons alone.

Since 1994, abortion has required three doctor's certificates acknowledging a severe medical or psychological need for the procedure, which must occur before the 18th week of pregnancy. The Church continues to oppose abortion and clinics are highly regulated in many areas of Cattala, with Lessito and Monte Calida provincial governments known to actively prevent the opening of clinics due to the strong views of residents of these provinces, most of whom are highly religious and intolerant of abortion. Jennai is home to 60% of Cattala's abortion clinics, and has the most liberal provincial government regulation, but they are still strict in comparison to those in other European nations.