Israel’s Knesset Labor, Welfare and Health Committee has approved reforms to the country’s abortion regulations, in the wake of a firestorm that has erupted in the US over the Supreme Court ruling overturning the 50-year-old Roe v. Wade decision that guaranteed the nationwide right to an abortion.
In a preliminary reading, the Knesset committee approved a proposal to relax Israel’s procedures for those who seek an abortion, according to The Jerusalem Post and other Israeli media.
Current restrictions limit medical abortions for women up to the 12th week of pregnancy and require a woman to seek the approval of an “abortion committee” before they can undergo the procedure.
Following approval of the amendment, a woman will no longer have to physically appear before the “abortion committee” and will be able to file an application for the procedure online.
Pharmacological abortions will also be available more widely throughout the country.
