It turns out Norway doesn't have very liberal abortion policies after all. Until the twelfth week it's the decision of the woman; after that a committee of doctors who are to give permission only if the birth would lead to considerable difficulty or danger; and after viability outside the womb, no abortions at all. (Except for emergency surgery where it's a question of the mother's life or the fetus's. But that's not really abortion, IMO.) I must say I like this policy better than the American one; I'm just surprised it's so restrictive.
Posted by MattP (Member # 10495) on :
I'm not sure what I think of these "life panels" of yours...
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
I think it sounds wonderful.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
I agree with both KoM and katharina.
How are they defining viability outside of the womb? And in terms of "considerable difficulty", are they only thinking medically, or are they including cases of rape?
Posted by King of Men (Member # 6684) on :
The law (wisely, I think) does not attempt to define viability; the words are (my translation) "After the end of the 18th week of pregnancy, a pregnancy may not be ended without very strong reason. If there is reason to believe that the fetus is viable, no license to abort may be given." So presumably they look at recent developments in medicine and make a decision as doctors. Looking at the statistics, it seems that abortions after the 23rd week are extremely rare.
As for the 'considerable difficulty', there seems to be a lot of leeway for individual judgement:
quote:If a pregnancy leads to serious difficulty for a woman, she shall be offered information and guidance about the aid that society can give her. She has a right to advice so that she may herself make the final decision.
(...)
After the end of the twelfth week, abortion may still occur if
a) The pregnancy, the birth, or caring for the child may lead to unreasonable stress for the woman's physical or mental health. Attention shall be given to whether she has a disposition for disease.
b) The pregnancy, the birth, or caring for the child may cause a difficult life-situation for the women.
c) There is considerable risk that the child may become seriously ill, due to genetic causes, disease, or damaging influences during the pregnancy.
d) The pregnancy occurred because of circumstances treated in the criminal code paragraphs 197-199, or paragraphs 192-196 and 199. [I assume these deal with rape and related crimes.]
e) She is mentally ill or handicapped to a considerable degree.
In considering an application for abortion under clauses a, b, or c attention shall be paid to the overall situation of the woman, including her ability to care satisfactorily for the child. The woman's own judgement of her situation shall be given considerable weight.
This seems to me to come down to individual judgement and, basically, the custom of the land. I found some statistics showing that 95% of abortions occur before the 12-week cutoff, and that abortions after the 18th week are very, very rare.