Your rights when you are unwanted pregnant
You may need to know what your options are and what support you can get. It can be support in making your decision about an abortion, whether to become a parent now or whether the child should be adopted away after birth and have other parents.
You have the right to have an abortion
The Act on termination of pregnancy (abortion) gives women over 18 years of age residing in Denmark the right to decide whether they want to terminate a pregnancy before the end of the 12th week.
You can have an abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy. According to the legislation, all women have the right to have an abortion (also called termination of pregnancy or induced abortion) if the procedure can be carried out before 12 weeks have passed from the first day of your last period.
If your decision to carry out the pregnancy or abortion is dependent on financial or social circumstances, you have the right to counselling.
You can get advice on the options available for support during the pregnancy and support after the birth of the child.
If you live in Denmark, it is free to have an abortion. You can read more about abortion after the 12th week further down the page.
If you are under 18, your parents or guardian must give permission for an abortion, but there is also an option to have an abortion even if you cannot get their permission or cannot tell them about the pregnancy. You can read more about this here.
If you have decided to have an abortion, you can read more about how to have the abortion here.
You have the right to a support conversation
If you are considering having an abortion, you have the opportunity to have a support conversation before you make your choice. Your doctor will tell you about this support talk.
The purpose of the interview is to help you make your own decision to terminate or continue the pregnancy. During this interview, you will have the opportunity to talk about your considerations in connection with carrying out the pregnancy or choosing induced abortion.
The conversation can e.g.be about the psychological and social consequences of abortion or the child. You can also have a support conversation if fetal reduction is an option that is in the picture.
If you would like to know more about where you can get a support interview, you can read more via the link below.
Your options for financial aid
You can ask your region or municipality about your rights. If you want information about more concrete possibilities for help and support in your municipality of residence, you must contact the social services. You can also contact Mødrehjælpen, where you can get guidance on social, legal, financial and psychological matters concerning abortion, pregnancy, birth and life as a mother.
Support options if you have the child
- 12 extra SU clips in connection with the maternity period (as a birthing mother)
- An SU supplement (see more at www.su.dk)
- Children's family allowance (child check) 4 times a year
- Possibility to apply for a full or partial free place in a nursery/kindergarten
- As a student, you are entitled to maternity leave, but you are not entitled to cash assistance during the leave
Støttemuligheder hvis du har job eller er arbejdsløs
- Maternity leave with salary, daily allowance or cash benefit
- Children's family allowance (child check) 4 times a year
- Possibility to apply for a full or partial free place in a nursery/kindergarten
Support option if you become a single mother
As a single parent you can get:
- Child allowance for single parents.
- Child support from the father.
You can get further information about support options and your financial situation as a parent if you contact the social services in your municipality or Mødrehjælpen.
You can adopt away
If you are considering adoption, you must contact the region or municipality you live in. You will receive guidance here. Even if you are sure that you want to adopt the child away, you will not be able to sign the final adoption papers until 3 months after the birth.
This is because there must be an opportunity to reconsider and possibly regret the desire for adoption after the birth. Once the papers are signed, it is no longer possible to revoke the adoption.
Abortion after 12 weeks
If you are pregnant for more than 12 weeks, permission for an abortion can only be given if there are special health or social reasons for abortion, or if malformations of the fetus are suspected.
If you want an abortion and are more than 12 weeks pregnant, you must contact your general practitioner, who can apply for permission for you. It is the consultation in your region that assesses whether permission can be granted.
It is possible to appeal the consultation's decision to an appeals board if you are refused an abortion after 12 weeks. The longer the time after 12 weeks, the more compelling reason is required for the consultation to give permission for an abortion.
You can regret until the last moment
You have the right to regret your decision to have an abortion, even after you have requested an abortion and been given time for the procedure or have arrived at the hospital.
Only when you have taken the medicine that initiates the abortion procedure can you no longer regret it.
You can always tell the clinic staff if you regret your decision.