A Portuguese law that legalizes abortions during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy will come into effect on July 15. Abortion currently is illegal in Portugal except when necessary to protect the life or health of a woman or if a woman becomes pregnant as a result of rape. Voters in the country in February approved a referendum that asked:

"Do you agree with the decriminalization of the voluntary interruption of pregnancy, in the first 10 weeks, in a legally authorized health establishment?"

However, the referendum was deemed invalid because fewer than half of the country's registered voters cast a ballot.

The Portuguese Parliament in March passed the legislation allowing abortions during the first 10 weeks. It also requires a three-day "reflection period" before a woman can choose to receive the procedure.

The measure stipulates that abortions will be initiated by a prescription drug administered by a physician; however, if the drug is not available, doctors are to perform a surgical procedure. Women who undergo abortions are granted confidentiality but will have to attend a session that informs them about contraceptive methods and family planning.

Physicians can register as conscientious objectors and refuse to perform the procedure, but the law stipulates that if no doctor is available, women must be given access to a physician at a different hospital. Some hospitals have said up to 80 per cent of their doctors plan to refuse to perform abortions.

Portugal's Constitution dictates that bills passed by Parliament must be rubber stamped by the president, and Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva ratified the legislation in April. However, Silva in a statement said that women seeking abortions should be shown an ultrasound of the fetus and that doctors who oppose the procedure should be allowed to counsel them.

He added that women also should be informed about the possibility of adoption and the psychological and physical consequences of abortion. The government subsequently rejected Silva's recommendations.
 
Source: Kaiser Network 25/Jun/07