Almost all parliamentary parties are considering extending the abortion limit in Norway

After six of the nine parties in the Norwegian parliament (Storting) have submitted their first drafts of their party programs, it looks like only the Conservatives support the current abortion law, according to newspaper Dagen.

The program committees of three political parties are divided on the abortion issue, the newspaper writes.

Two of the eleven members of the Center Party’s (SP) program committee want to implement “advisory teams” and give women the right to self-determined abortion until week 18. 

The current limit for self-determined abortion in Norway is 12 weeks.

“There has never been a debate about the abortion limit at national meetings in the Center Party as long as I have been involved, and I feel confident that the national assembly will stick to the current abortion law,” SP’s health policy spokesperson Kjersti Toppe noted.

A minority in the program committee of the Labor Party also wants to introduce self-determined abortion until week 18. 

Different opinions

At the national meeting last year, a similar proposal was voted down by a narrow margin.

The Progress Party (FRP) will present its program draft next week. 

The party’s health policy spokesperson Åshild Bruun-Gundersen says that the right to self-determined abortion is strongly supported in the party. 

However, she did not support a common policy in the area.

“I personally believe that the current abortion law works well and see no reason to extend it. 

“But this is such an essential value issue that FRP members who have a different view of it should be allowed to have it,” Bruun-Gundersen noted.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today