The fight for free abortion is not over!

Why abortion is a key issue

Powerful leaders in large parts of the world talk about the fetus' right to life at the expense of girls´ and women's right to their own bodies - and this has major consequences around the world.

For at least a decade, conservative religious groups have posted $4.4 billion DKK in the anti-rights movement in Europe, which fights against, among other things, the access to free abortion. The money comes a.o. from American billionaires, Russian oligarchs and religious groups, the 'Tip of the Iceberg' report, published in 2021, shows. Restrictions and bans on abortion have major consequences for the rights and health of girls and women. Deadly instruments are still used by desperate girls and women who are unable to have a safe abortion because the law or the environment prohibits it. A large part of the more than 800 women who die in childbirth every day worldwide is due to unsafe abortions or lack of access to abortion.

Abortion ban in Poland

In October 2020, the Polish Constitutional Court ruled that it is no longer possible to have an abortion due to fetal abnormalities. Nearly 98% of the approximately 1,100 abortions previously carried out in the country every year were carried out because the child would be born with severe abnormalities. The sentence was initially not introduced due to strong popular protests, where 100,000 were on the streets in the biggest protests since 1989. In January 2021, the Constitutional Court's sentence was unfortunately introduced with a delay and is now valid in Poland.

Now it is only possible for women in Poland to have an abortion on the basis of proven rape, incest or if the woman's life is in danger. Therefore, there is now an almost total ban on abortion. Since the verdict, we have already seen several pregnant women in Poland lose their lives, as doctors have not been able to perform a necessary and life-saving abortion legally.

Poland is not the only country in Europe where the right to abortion is under pressure. We keep a close eye on countries such as Italy and Hungary, where it is already difficult to obtain an abortion - and where further regulation is being worked on.

Historic showdown with the right to abortion in the United States

While Denmark can celebrate 50 years of safe and legal abortion in 2023, the United States face a bleak future for women's rights. In June 2022, the US Supreme Court overruled the decision of 1973, which ensured American women's right to free abortion. This means that almost 30% of American women live in states where it is now either illegal to get an abortion or the options are severely limited.

Close to Denmark

There is still much to fight for here in Denmark as well. We do not need to go further than the Faroe Islands in our own commonwealth. Here, it is only possible to have an abortion if the woman has been subjected to abuse, if her health is threatened physically or psychologically, or if there is a risk of serious hereditary diseases in the child.

Often, Faroese women have to travel out of the country - for example to Denmark - to have an abortion.

We support the Faroese women in their fight to get the rights they deserve.

What DFPA works for

In Denmark, we have had the right to safe and legal abortion since 1973. But it is not a right we can take for granted. Developments in countries such as Poland and the USA show that the right to safe and legal abortion is a right that must be protected. Even in Denmark, there is opposition to women's right to choose for themselves whether they want an abortion or not.

We work for the right of all girls and women to have the possibility to have an abortion. In Denmark, we offer free advice, and internationally we fight together with local activists and organisations.

How does DFPA work with the right to abortion

• We offer unbiased advice and information about abortion at the Sexlinien.dk and in our contraception and counseling clinic
• We prevent unwanted pregnancies through education and access to contraception together with our international partners.
• We work politically for the right to abortion both in Denmark and worldwide.
• We participate in the public debate and make knowledge available.