Sexual activity among young people begins earlier and involves a greater number of partners. "This transformation, associated with the postponement of motherhood, leaves women with the management of many years (about 12) during which they must limit the risk of unwanted pregnancies." Despite this, in Italy " the use of abortion is constantly decreasing," so much so that between 1980 and 2022 it fell by 68 percent, going from 208 thousand to just over 65 thousand . Therefore "it does not seem to be used as a means to limit births, but rather as a last resort ."

This is what emerges from the Istat report “Voluntary interruption of pregnancy in a generational perspective” , which also takes stock of the role of counseling centers present in the territory in the support and assistance activity for women who intend to resort to abortion. And, the report underlines, Sardinia is one of the regions where these structures are “little involved” , with regards to the path that leads to the interruption of pregnancy, from the delivery of documents and certificates, number of interviews and post-IVG checks.

CONSULTING CLINICS, THE DATA – In fact, on the Island (2022 data) 1,382 abortions are carried out in one year, but the pre-abortion interviews at family counseling centers between specialists and women who intend to have an abortion are 260, the certificates issued are 221 and the post-abortion interviews are 97 .

For comparison, in Friuli Venezia Giulia, which has fewer inhabitants than Sardinia (1.3 million versus 1.6), out of 1,219 abortions, there were 937 pre-IVG interviews, 692 certificates issued and 612 post-IVG checks.

Yet, Istat points out, «Family Counselling Centres were established in 1975 with Law 9 July 1975, n. 405 which clearly defines their crucial role in all areas concerning women's health , including contraception, pregnancy and abortion. Their strengths are their proximity and spread across the territory, in addition to the multidisciplinary team and an integration between health workers and social workers; this allows women to be taken care of throughout the entire care pathway». But, as mentioned, on the Island, these structures are «little involved» ( ), as happens in Molise, Marche, Abruzzo and Basilicata.