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Georgia - November 2023
New abortion restrictions worry health advocates
Women’s rights activists and public health experts condemned the Ministry of Health’s decision to mandate counselling by a psychologist and social worker before a woman can obtain an abortion. The procedures were updated in October and will come into effect on 1 January 2024, but neither domestic nor international health organizations were consulted on the change and Georgian media did not hear of it until 7 November. The new procedures run contrary to international public health recommendations, and domestic and international advocates worried that they would only lead to an increase of unsafe, illegal abortions.
![Political Equality](https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/themes/custom/gsod/src/assets/sub-attribute-ghost.png)
![Gender Equality](https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/themes/custom/gsod/src/assets/sub-attribute-ghost.png)
EU grants Georgia candidate status
The European Commission recommended that the European Union grant Georgia candidate status on 8 November, and the members of the European Council unanimously agreed on 14 December. The move is symbolic and was celebrated by both Georgian and European political leaders, but it is not a guarantee of future membership. As a condition for future membership, the EU says Georgia must commit to reforms on justice and the rule of law, decrease polarization in the country, and implement a “de-oligarichization” programme, among others.
Sources: European Union, British Broadcasting Corporation, Civil.ge
![Access to Justice](https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/themes/custom/gsod/src/assets/sub-attribute-ghost.png)
![Judicial Independence](https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/themes/custom/gsod/src/assets/sub-attribute-ghost.png)
![Absence of Corruption](https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/themes/custom/gsod/src/assets/sub-attribute-ghost.png)
![Predictable Enforcement](https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/themes/custom/gsod/src/assets/sub-attribute-ghost.png)