Finland underway to extending abortion rights

The bill proposes enabling women to get an abortion without the obligatory consultation of two physicians up to twelve weeks of pregnancy, Euractiv reports. In addition, the proposal wants to offer women the possibility of having an abortion outside of authorised hospitals.

Currently, the Finnish abortion law is one of the strictest in Europe. At the moment, women who want to have an termination must consult two doctors for medical statements. In addition, they have to present reasons for their abortion that must be related to their social or financial situation. Only authorised hospitals can terminate pregnancies, both medical as well as surgical.

Citizens started the initiative to reform the abortion legislation, which dates from the 1970s, Helsingin Sanomat writes. According to the initiator on the web page of the initiative, the right "to a free and safe abortion is a key part of women's physical self-determination," which is currently "not respected by Finnish law."

According to Euractive, the Finnish Parliament will vote on the proposal in the autumn. There seems to be a majority in favour of the bill. Only the Christian Democratic Party opposes the proposal for sure. Christian Democratic politicians would rather see tighter regulations for abortion.