The legal limit for abortion has been extended from 12 to 18 weeks in Norway.
- In Norway, the majority of deputies voted in favor of a text extending the right to abortion to 18 weeks.
- Until now, the limit was set at 12 weeks. Women who had to abort after this deadline had to obtain authorization from a committee of doctors.
On December 3, 2024, Norwegian MPs approved a bill extending the legal deadline for abortion from 12 to 18 weeks. It replaces a text dating back to 1978 and allows the country to align with its neighbor Sweden.
A text that simplifies late abortions
Currently, women living in Norgève who wish to terminate their pregnancy beyond the 12-week limit must make a request to an evaluation committee made up of two doctors: a man and a woman. These late abortions, generally requested due to a health problem of the fetus or the mother, were rarely refused. However, for the defenders of the new text, the system in place was “obsolete, conservative and paternalistic”. For them, it was essential that women could “have control over their own bodies”. Arguments heard by a large majority of Norwegian elected officials.
The extension of the abortion deadline to 18 weeks of pregnancy is not the only element modified. MEPs also gave the green light to extend the possibility of carrying out embryonic reduction in the event of multiple pregnancies until the 18the week.
More than 8 out of 19 abortions performed before the 9th week
According to Norwegian health authorities, more than 8 in 10 terminations of pregnancies carried out in the country in 2023 took place before the 9e week of pregnancy. Only 4.7% occurred beyond the 12the week after the approval of the medical evaluation committee.
In France, abortion can be performed until the end of the 14the week of pregnancy, i.e. 16 weeks after the 1ster day of last period.
Norway is not the European country with the longest legal limit on abortion. It is permitted for up to 24 weeks in the UK and the Netherlands and up to 22 weeks in Iceland.
