What does VUB Dilemma do?
The VUB Dilemma team is specialised in dealing with questions or doubts about unwanted pregnancies. We offer psychosocial and medical counselling tailored to the needs of the client and in accordance with the legal framework.
You can contact us for a range of services, from information provision to discussions, medical consultations relating to the pregnancy, pregnancy termination and referrals to services that can help you in your specific situation.
Abortion
Would you like more information about the initial consultation and the ways in which an abortion can be performed? We are happy to provide you with clear and transparent information.
What happens next?
After an abortion, Dilemma offers medical and psychosocial after-care and information on contraception, if required. There are also other organisations that focus on after-care.
Appointments
Appointments are by telephone only. You can e-mail us for information (no appointment bookings by mail).
View our contact details and find an answer to the most frequently asked practical and essential questions.
FAQs
How much does an abortion cost?
If you are registered with a Belgian health insurance fund, you pay only a copayment of €3.90. The remaining amount is paid directly to us by your health insurance fund. Your privacy is guaranteed.
If you are not registered with a Belgian health insurance fund, or if there are issues with your registration, we will look into other possibilities. In some cases, you can rely on assistance from institutions such as the PCSWs or Fedasil.
In other cases, patients have to pay for the treatment themselves (€ 213 for the first consultation and € 316 for the treatment). If this is difficult for you, we can explore possible solutions together. We believe that every woman deserves to be assisted.
What should I bring to my first appointment?
3 stickers from your health insurance fund
The co-payment of € 3.80 (preferably by bank card payment)
Proof of your blood group (if available)
Is abortion legal?
The law states that a woman who has the firm intention to terminate her pregnancy has the right to an abortion. She alone decides on this. Minors are also free to decide for themselves. Parents or guardians need not be informed.
The treatment itself and the preliminary interview must take place in a “healthcare facility”, meaning an abortion centre or a hospital that offers abortion services. Both facilities must have an information service.
During the initial consultation, your situation is discussed. What exactly is discussed depends on your specific situation and any questions you may have. Topics that may be discussed include what went wrong with the contraception and which contraceptive method you want to use in the future, which methods are available to terminate a pregnancy and which method you prefer. Our staff are bound by professional secrecy and you decide what or what not to share.
There is a mandatory waiting period of six days between the first appointment and the abortion. On the day of the abortion, you must confirm your request for a termination in writing.
In Belgium, after the 12th week of pregnancy, an abortion can only be carried out if the woman attended the initial appointment at the abortion centre before the 12-week term. The abortion can be carried out up to six days after that initial appointment.
An abortion can only be carried out further into the pregnancy for medical reasons: such as when carrying the pregnancy to term poses a serious threat to the woman's life, or when an examination has shown that the child will suffer from an incurable disease (based on current scientific knowledge). In these cases, treatment must be carried out in a hospital and the opinion of a second doctor must be sought.
If you wish to have an abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy (= 14 weeks counting from the first day of the last menstrual period) and there is no medical reason as described above, you can currently only go abroad (The Netherlands, Great Britain). If you are in such a situation, you can contact us for a meeting, information and possibly a referral to a clinic abroad.
What if I am a minor?
The abortion law applies equally to adults and young people under the age of 18. They are also free to make an independent decision about whether to continue their pregnancy. The parents or guardians need not be informed.
Young people are usually covered by their parents' or care giver's health insurance. We have an explicit agreement with the health insurance funds to only communicate with us about your treatment. In other words no letters or e-mails will be sent to parents or partners, and our care provision cannot be viewed online or at local offices.
What about my privacy?
Our staff are bound by professional confidentiality. For that reason they are not allowed to inform parents, guardians, care givers, partners or others about your visit to our centre.
Every woman who requests an abortion has her reason. If you prefer not to talk about that reason, or certain aspects of it, you will not need to do so.
Can I refer my patient to you?
If you, as a doctor or social worker, refer a client to us, please provide her with the following:
Lab test results including blood group and HCG, if performed.
Ultrasound scan, if any.
Certification stating the date on which you saw the client with the request for a termination of pregnancy.
You can refer your patient even if she is in doubt. Our staff are trained to guide patients through the decision-making process. Of course, every woman remains free to decide whether or not to proceed with an abortion.
Ask your client to contact the centre as soon as possible if she wishes to cancel or reschedule her appointment. This enables us to give another patient an appointment (sooner). Appointments can also be cancelled through the website.
Our mission and vision
It is estimated that 1 in 4 pregnancies in Belgium is unplanned. For some, this is a welcome surprise. Some doubt whether they should continue with the pregnancy. Others quickly realise that the unplanned pregnancy is unwanted at this point. Even a planned and wanted pregnancy can become unwanted due to circumstances.
VUB Dilemma offers support if you are in doubt about whether to continue a pregnancy, and if you choose to terminate your pregnancy. The team can assist in the decision to keep the pregnancy by providing information about the range of services available.
An abortion is a minor medical procedure with a low risk of complications, if performed in safe and medically responsible conditions. VUB Dilemma strives to perform abortions in optimal medical conditions and with the highest possible level of comfort for patients.
In addition, VUB Dilemma recognises that performing an abortion is more than a purely medical procedure. The psychosocial and emotional aspect, the stigma and taboo surrounding abortion and the moral aspect of a request for an abortion are therefore given sufficient consideration in the counselling of patients.
Our doctors and staff are experts in the field of contraception. We offer tailored guidance in the search for the most appropriate method of contraception.
VUB Dilemma takes a client-oriented and holistic approach. When we receive a request for counselling, we always look at the exact individual question and how best to respond to it. The woman's right to make her own decisions, as well as her physical and mental well-being take centre stage. We recognise that every woman comes to us from her specific context: her partner, family, or important third parties may also play a role in the final decision the woman makes.
As a service linked to VUB, medical care is of paramount importance to us. We have a cooperation agreement with the gynaecology department of the UZ Brussels university hospital.
Besides offering assistance, VUB Dilemma also wants to actively contribute to the social debate.
As such, VUB Dilemma has a cooperation agreement with LUNA. Together we wrote and signed ‘Luna’s Charter’.