Faroe Islands parliament legalizes abortion up to 12 weeks

On December 4, the Faroe Islands parliament voted to legalize induced abortion through 12 weeks —undoing a decades-old law that had protected most preborn children.

Key Takeaways:

• The Faroe Islands parliament has voted to legalize abortion up to 12 weeks in a tight vote.

• The law will allow abortion for any reason through 12 weeks of pregnancy, removing a decades-old law that only allowed abortion for the so-called "exceptions" of rape, incest, fetal diagnosis, and life of the mother.

• Pro-abortion groups have been pushing for legalized abortion for years and celebrated the vote, though there is allegedly little support from citizens.

The Details:

The new law, which passed by a tight 17-16 vote, signifies a profound cultural turning point for the self-governing archipelago, part of the Kingdom of Denmark, long regarded as one of Europe’s last bastions of strong family and life-centered values.

For generations, the Faroe Islands had laws in place that protected the majority of (but unfortunately not all) children from abortion from the moment of fertilization unless they were conceived in rape or incest, received a prenatal diagnosis, or their mother's health was at risk. Its pro-life leaning laws, while limited, placed the islands among a small handful of regions in Europe that declined to kowtow to pressure to legalize abortion. 

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Under the former law, a general practitioner also had to confirm that one of the legal conditions to seek an abortion was met before the mother requested approval from the National Hospital for the abortion. Both the woman and her doctor risked jail time if the law was not followed. The recently adopted law eradicates that step for preborn children by permitting abortion up to 12 weeks without any stated reason.

The vote came after years of pro-abortion lobbying from various international bodies, such as the Nordic Council in collaboration with the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The CEDAW rapporteur claimed that the previous law forced women to travel abroad for abortions.

The new legislation does give healthcare professionals the ability to decline to commit abortions if it violates their conscience. 

Pro-abortion political groups, such as the Fritt Val (Free Choice) group, which had been campaigning for more liberal abortion laws for years, lauded the decision to change the law in a post on Instagram.

“The Logting (Faroese unicameral parliament)... has just granted Faroese women the right to decide over their own bodies,” the group declared. 

Similarly, pro-abortion group Amnesty International hailed the move as “an important step towards ensuring the provision of safe and legal abortion.” 

The Bottom Line:

Induced abortion, the direct and intentional killing of preborn children, is not medically necessary, and according to Erhard Joensen, an MP who voted against the bill, there is not much public support for the new law.

"I think we will see that some will try to roll it back," he said.