Law proposal: abortion on demand up to 12 weeks

Women residing in the Faroes should be given the right to unrestricted abortion on demand up to and including week 12 of pregnancy.

This statement forms the introduction to a proposed amendment to the abortion law, presented yesterday by the Minister of Justice, Bjarni Kárason Petersen.

The proposal also allows for termination beyond week 12 in cases where the woman's life or health is in jeopardy. Such decisions would be made on a case-by-case basis by a medical professional.

 >> SEE ALSO Poll: no need to amend abortion law

Access to abortion in the Faroes has been a topic of longstanding debate.

At yesterday’s presentation of the proposed amendment, the minister said that the current law, which dates back to 1956, is outdated and that the time has come to modernise it.

"Finding a solution that fully satisfies every opinion on this sensitive topic is not easy. However, a woman’s right to decide over her own body and her reproductive health weighs heavily in this context,” he said.

 >> SEE ALSO Nordic Amnesty branches unite against Faroese abortion law

According to the proposal, a woman wishing to get an abortion will require a referral from her GP.

Such a referral would be accompanied with an offer of optional abortion counselling.

Read the Faroese versions of this article here and here.

English version by prosa.fo.

More Faroese News in English.