The Portuguese Diary

In this day-to-day diary, read what happened during the Women on Waves campaign in Portugal.

- Press release: 10-4-1007
"Yes" to legalize abortion in Portugal!!

On 10th of April Portugal's president ratified a law allowing women to obtain abortions until the 10th week of pregnancy.
The abortion law will come into force when the government publishes it in official records, probably next month.
Congratulations Portugal!!!

20-2-2005: Today in Portugal the Socialist Party has won the elections! Now abortion can finaly be legalized and the suffering of Portuguese women end.
The former government, a coalition between PP and PSD, refused to revieuw the very strick abortion law and even allowed for the prosecution of women who had abortions. When the Women on Waves ship sailed Portugal in September 2004 to give information and to help women with safe and legal abortioncare, Paulo Portas, the leader of PP, even send war ships to stop the Women on Waves ship from entering Portuguese national waters. Opinion polls after the ship left showed that 63% of the Portuguese population wants abortion to be legalized. The PP and the PSD have both lost almost half of their seats in parliament.
Women on Waves is uitgenodigd door...

Eu fiz um aborto


Media Portugal

The best way to get an impression of the discussion in Portuguese society is to look at the overwhealming press coverage. From august 23 on, we have collected more than 700 newspaper articles. Next to the continuous TV coverage on all channels public and commercial. It shows how our trip has helped to put legal abortion on the agenda again in Portugal.

- Press release:
Portuguese Parliament Approves National Referendum On Loosening Abortion
Referenda: a solution?
25 Oct 2006: Finally almost 2 years after winning the elections the socialist government will held a referendum on abortion on February 11, 2007. If the referendum is approved by the president and constitutional court, voters will be asked: "Do you agree with the decriminalization of the voluntary interruption of pregnancy, in the first 10 weeks, in a legally authorized health establishment?"
The Socialist Party won the new elections in February 2005. The Socialist Party vowed to hold a new referendum on easing the country's strict laws against abortion already in August 2005. But it has been postponed again and again and recently again 3 women were convicted to half a year of imprisonment for having an illegal abortion and the doctor who helped them was put in jail for 3,5 years.
If approved, the referendum would implement legislation that would legalize abortions up to 10 weeks' gestation.
rime Minister Jose Socrates said the Socialist party will actively campaign in favor of changing the abortion laws if the referendum is held. Officials say that about 10,000 women annually in Portugal are treated at hospitals for complications caused by illegal abortions
Signature Support.
A petition was initiated by portugalgay.pt to support Women on Waves. Until midnight on the first of September, you can email them to support us.

Legal arguments against criminalization
In 2007 Portugal legalized abortion till 10 weeks of pregnancy. The abortion law before 2007 dated from 1984. Prior to 1984, the law forbade abortion without exception. At the same time, however, abortion up till ten or eleven weeks of pregnancy was generally accepted and doctors, nurses and midwives who performed illegal, but medically safe abortion could do so without fear of prosecution.

Press commentary
newsroundup
New in Portugal, where questions regarding women rights have been treated as minor themes, most of the political stories about Portuguese political life in all ideological sectors make reference to the abortion question in Portugal.
Next, some phrases of these commentators in important politic newspapers from the Portuguese center and right liberal wing.


