Maria Karystianou has sparked criticism from the government and opposition parties after suggesting abortion should be a subject of public consultation during a television interview on Monday, January 19.
Speaking on OPEN TV, Karystianou, a doctor who rose to prominence following the 2023 Tempe railway disaster and who has said she plans to launch a political party, described abortion as a complex ethical issue involving both women’s rights and what she called the rights of the embryo.
“I know that abortions are legal. I am talking about the ethical issue,” she said, adding that broader public consultation could lead to a “more democratic” outcome.
Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis said the comments were shocking, particularly because they were made by a doctor, and stressed that the issue of abortion has “already been settled.”
PASOK lawmaker Panagiotis Doudonis said a woman’s right to decide over her own body was enshrined in law in 1986 and that the matter has long been closed, while SYRIZA spokesperson Kostas Zachariadis described Karystianou’s stance as an extreme-right position, emphasising that bodily self-determination is a core achievement of Western civilisation.
Source: Ekathimerini.
