Portugal legalizes abortion

Socrates said the abortion will no longer be considered a crime in Portugal.

Exploring outside the polls gave an initial result that about 60% of people voting voted to loosen the strict Portuguese rules in this regard. The number of people voting is only about 40%, not enough to meet the minimum requirement of 50%, so that the solicitation results have compulsory legal value.

Portugal is one of the countries in the EU that has the most strict abortion regulations.

However, Socrates' socialist government always says they respect the results of the referendum, regardless of the number of people voting. The new scheme allows women to be abused for up to 10 weeks of pregnancy.

Strict regulations

Currently, abortion is only carried out in the case of rape, health risks of pregnant women or serious birth defects.

Portugal is one of the countries with the most stringent abortion laws in the European Union. Only Ireland, Malta and Poland have similar legal restrictions. The country with a majority of Catholics now allows abortion to reach 12 weeks of age, if the life of a pregnant woman is threatened, or to ensure mental and physical health for the woman.

In the case of rape, abortion is performed within 16 weeks. The 24-week period is applied if the child is born at risk of incurable disease or malformations.

Due to strict laws, many Portuguese women went to Spain to abort or seek to have an illegal abortion. Some people have abortions in unsanitary conditions, are at risk for infection or have serious, life-threatening complications.