The parliament of the Faroe Islands voted on Thursday to legalise abortion until the end of the 12th week of pregnancy, overturning a decades-old law that prohibited abortions in most cases.
Previous legislation allowed abortions only in certain circumstances – such as rape, incest or risk to the health of the pregnant woman – and meant the self-governing Danish territory had among the most restrictive abortion policies in Europe.
Following a heated parliamentary debate, the decision came down to the wire, with MPs narrowly voting in favour of the reform, by 17 to 16.
“This is truly an historic day in the Faroe Islands,” said Ingilín Didriksen Strømm, one of the four MPs who tabled the bill.
Strømm told the BBC: “This change finally affirms women’s autonomy over their own bodies in the Faroe Islands.”
“It guarantees access to safe healthcare, and it also protects our freedom to make decisions about our own lives without fear, without stigma and without criminalisation,” she added.
The new legislation in the Faroe Islands – located between Scotland and Norway – is expected to come into effect on 1 July next year, replacing laws dating back to 1956.
Under that legislation, abortions could only be performed in special circumstances – which also included if there are severe fetal health problems or if the woman is deemed “unfit” to care for the child.
Whether a woman is “unfit” or not is judged first by a GP, and then a second medical body, before an abortion is granted. Both the woman and the doctor risked imprisonment if the conditions were not met.
Faroese pro-choice campaigners have argued the legislation was outdated and impinged on women’s rights.
“This is a colossal change,” Bjørt Lind from pro-choice campaign group Fritt Val told Danish newspaper Politiken.
“Abortion has been so hidden and taboo in Faroese society. When we started our work, no one dared to talk about it. It has gotten much better,” she says. “But it’s still a huge challenge.”
In a statement to the BBC, Amnesty International’s Faroe Islands branch said: “After years of campaigning we finally have a law respecting women’s and all pregnant people’s rights to a safe and legal abortion until week 12.”
“This is a huge step for human rights, the right to bodily autonomy and to secure safe abortions,” it added. “And Faroese women don’t have to go on an expensive trip abroad to have an abortion.”
With limited access to abortions in the Faroe Islands, campaign groups said women often had to travel to Denmark for the procedure.
Danish law has allowed abortion up to 12 weeks since 1973, and in June this year, that was amended to extend terminations on request until 18 weeks.
According to the Centre for Reproductive Rights, some 43 countries in Europe allow “abortion on request” during the early stages of pregnancy. Only five – Andorra, Malta, Liechtenstein, Poland and Monaco – maintain highly restrictive laws.
Those opposed to the law change in the Faroe Islands, argued that the right of the fetus should be protected.
Erhard Joensen, an MP who voted against Thursday’s bill, told Danish national broadcaster, DR, that he respects the result, but does not believe there is much support for the new law.
“I think we will see that some will try to roll it back,” he said.
The remote archipelago is home to around 56,000 people, who speak Faroese and have a distinct cultural identity.
Compared to other Nordic countries, society in the Faroe Islands is considered relatively conservative, with more than three quarters of the population members of the Lutheran church.
Previous attempts to liberalise abortion laws have failed. Most recently, in May last year, an almost identical bill resulted in a tied vote, failing to secure the majority required to pass the Faroese parliament.
