Switzerland Liberalizes Abortion Laws
June 3, 2002
Almost three-quarters of Switzerland's citizens decided it was time to change the country's 60-year old abortion laws.
In a referendum on Sunday, 72 percent of voters backed a proposal to allow abortions up to the 12th week of pregnancy. Over 80 percent rejected a rival proposal by pro-life groups to ban abortion completely, even in the case of rape.
Under the new law, which will take effect in October, a woman seeking an abortion for psychological reasons must undergo an interview. Each canton, or province, will also designate the specialists and institutions which can perform abortions.
The current law, dating from 1942, only allows a woman to terminate her pregnancy if her health is in danger. But no one has been prosecuted for undergoing or performing an abortion since 1988.
Despite the liberal interpretation of the current law, however, women seeking abortions in conservative cantons often faced difficulties. They were forced to travel across the country to big cities like Zurich if they really wanted an abortion.
Giving women the choice
In Switzerland's system of direct democracy, many important law changes are voted on in referendums. Justice Minister Ruth Metzler told a news conference in the capital of Berne she had not expected the result to be so clear.
According to Metzler, the referendum showed there was a consensus that women who decide to have an abortion take a responsible decision and should not be criminalized.
"I am happy that we have found a liberal and, at the same time, clever solution to a very difficult problem in Switzerland," added Socialist parliamentarian Barbara Haering, who campaigned for the proposal.
The government, which backed the abortion proposal, said 80 percent of abortions are carried out between the sixth and 10th week.
Government statistics estimate between 12,000 and 13,000 of pregnancies are terminated every year. Figures suggest one in nine pregnancies is currently aborted despite the risk of a prison sentence for the mother and doctor.
Two cantons - Valais in the west and Appenzell Innerrhoden in the east - rejected the proposal to relax abortion rules. But this will not prevent it from becoming law.
Anti-abortion fight continues
The referendum had sparked a heated debate in Switzerland between pro-life and pro-choice campaigners.
Across the country, the image of a baby on all fours emblazoned giant billboards. "Mama, thank you for not putting a limit on life," read the slogan on the anti-abortion poster.
Pro-life groups pledged to continue their fight. "We cannot come to terms with a reality that does not accept fundamental human rights," said Christoph Keel, spokesman for the "For Mother and Child" group that tabled the proposal to ban abortion completely.
European standards
Abortion in one form or another is accepted in most of Europe, despite clear opposition from the Roman Catholic church and other religious organizations.
The legal abortion period is 10 weeks in France, Italy, Greece, Denmark and Norway. It is 12 weeks in Germany, Belgium and Austria, and 22 weeks in Britain, Spain and the Netherlands. Abortion is banned in Portugal, except in cases involving rape or where there are serious health concerns.
Ireland is the only European Union country where abortion is illegal. In the EU candidate country Malta, both abortion and divorce are illegal.