In 2023, 131 Azorean women had to be sent to the mainland to have an abortion. The number is denounced by the Left Bloc and justified by the Regional Government with the existence of conscientious objector gynecologists.
“The existence of doctors specializing in gynecology/obstetrics who are conscientious objectors in the hospitals of the Regional Health Service has compromised local care capacity. This limitation, coupled with the need to ensure compliance with the legal deadlines for carrying out voluntary interruption of pregnancy (IVG) procedures, has made it impossible to meet demand, resulting in users being referred to mainland Portugal,” reads the Azorean executive’s response to a BE (Keft Bloc political party) request.
According to data provided in the request by the BE’s sole member of parliament, 157 IVGs were carried out in 2023, of which 14 (8.9%) at Horta Hospital, 12 at Ponta Delgada Hospital (7.6%) and 131 on the mainland (83.5%).
Also, according to the BE, between January and September 2024, 116 IVGs were performed, 93 at HDES (80.2%) and the remaining 23 in mainland Portugal (19.8%).
“The displacement of these women to mainland Portugal can no longer be seen as a solution, due to the associated emotional, social and economic implications,” says António Lima.

The Regional Government claims that, according to a normative circular issued on July 6, 2023, after the first consultation, to provide information, users wishing to undergo an IVG should be referred to hospitals in Horta or Ponta Delgada.
However, the executive reveals that the gynecology/obstetrics service at HDES “can only respond to IVG requests from the islands of São Miguel and Santa Maria.”
“In the first quarter of 2025, a phased assessment will be carried out to determine the possibility of resuming the referral of users from other islands to undergo IVG at HDES,” it said.
According to the executive, between January and April 2024, 21 IVGs were performed in São Miguel on patients from other islands: 17 from Terceira, 2 from Faial, one from Pico, and one from Flores.
The same hospital also performed 74 IVGs on patients from São Miguel between January and September.
According to the Regional Government, the three hospitals currently have 24 gynecologists/obstetricians, only seven of whom are not conscientious objectors. At HDES, 11 of the 14 doctors have declared their objection, at HSEIT four of the six are objectors and at HH two of the four are also objectors.
Portugal decriminalized the voluntary interruption of pregnancy in 2007, but Terceira Island Hospital has never performed IVG, according to the BE MP in the petition.

Horta Hospital stopped performing this procedure in October 2023, and Ponta Delgada Hospital stopped performing it at the end of 2021, resuming in November 2023.
“Such obstacles mean that rights recognized in legislation cannot always be exercised and greatly limit free and informed access to IVG,” stresses the member of the Azorean Parliament.

in Diário Insular, José Lourenço-director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.