Portuguese evolution

The referendum opened the way for women to have an abortion

Residents of Portugal voted in favor of abortion in a referendum held on Sunday. This is what the residents of the country decided, where almost 80% of the adult population recognizes themselves as practicing Catholics. People were asked to answer the question: “Do you agree with the removal of penalties for voluntary termination of pregnancy if it is carried out at the woman’s choice in the first ten weeks in a legal medical facility?” About 60% of those who took part in the referendum answered affirmatively.

Of the 8.7 million voters, almost 57% ignored the event launched last year by the ruling Socialist Party. Therefore, the results of the referendum will not be binding - the law requires that more than half of the voters take part in it.

The current law, passed in 1984, makes abortion punishable by up to three years in prison for a woman and two to eight years for a doctor. However, Prime Minister Jose Socrates has already announced that “from now on, criminal prosecution of women who have committed abortions will cease in the country.” He also promised that in the coming months the parliament will adopt “a new law in accordance with the will of the population.” It is virtually guaranteed to receive almost two-thirds of MPs' votes and is likely to come into force in early 2008.

During the preparation of the referendum, all left parties spoke in favor of legalizing abortion - socialists, communists, Left Bloc, Greens and four social movements. The far-right People's Party (PP), the right-wing Social Democratic Party (SDP), as well as 14 social movements and groups of various kinds, created mainly on the initiative of the highest hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church, opposed it. During the campaign, some priests even compared abortion “to the execution of Saddam Hussein.”

PP President Ribeiro e Castro promises that its members in parliament will vote against the new law. Sergio Carvalho, a prominent businessman and member of the PSD, believes that Portugal should not abandon the ban on abortion: “Look how in countries where abortion was previously legalized, they now have to pay 25 thousand euros for each child born.” Besides Portugal, only three EU countries ban abortion - Malta, Ireland and Poland.

“Over the past ten years, we have had a great evolution in public consciousness, and we will now be able to join the most civilized countries,” Justice Minister Alberto Costa said after the referendum. “The referendum results showed that Portuguese society has become more open, more tolerant and fairer,” said Maria Ferreira, one of the leaders of the nationwide movement to legalize abortion. The first referendum on this topic was held in the country in 1998, but at that time supporters of maintaining the ban received 52%.

In Portugal, 18-20 thousand clandestine abortions are performed annually, mostly by low-income women. The practice comes at a cost to society, doctors say, with dozens of deaths and tens of thousands of ballots from complications caused by unsanitary conditions. Representatives of the middle class have abortions in paid clinics in neighboring Spain, and the wealthiest ladies go to England or France.

After the referendum, Portugal's Health Minister Correia Campos told Vremya Novostey that the country "will be ready to change legislation in this area, which will certainly take into account the experience of other developed countries in Europe, in particular France, Germany, Italy and Spain." However, the minister admits that due to the lack of funds allocated by the state for health care, “the emergence of private clinics specializing in abortions in the country is inevitable.”

Alexander ZDITOVETSKY, Lisbon