Prime Minister Jose Socrates has said abortion will be legalised in Portugal despite the turnout for a referendum being too low to be legally binding.

Turnout was about 40 per cent, far less than the 50 per cent required, but of those who did vote, 59.3 per cent backed a proposed change to the current law.

The proposal allows all women abortion until the 10th week of pregnancy. Currently abortions are only allowed in cases of rape, a health threat to the mother or serious foetal abnormality.

"The law will now be discussed and approved in parliament," Mr Socrates said. "Our interest is to fight clandestine abortion and we have to produce a law that respects the result of the referendum. The people spoke with a clear voice."

But the leader of Partido Popular, which campaigned against the change, said the Prime Minister was acting too hastily.

"Socrates will be responsible for this sad chapter in Portugal's history, for insisting on a political move that has split Portuguese society," said Jose Ribeiro e Castro. "Low voter turnout has confirmed that (abortion) was not a critical issue."

In a referendum held in 1998, voters upheld the existing abortion law by 51 per cent to 49 per cent, but the result was declared void as nearly seven out of 10 voters stayed away. The Socialists made holding another referendum part of their election platform in 2005.

Voters were being asked to decide whether to make abortion legal in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, if carried out at the woman's request in a registered clinic.

But since the wording says nothing about the woman having to justify her decision, those against the reform say it is abortion on demand.

Source: BBC News 12/Feb/07