Majority support for at-home abortions

In February this year, the Moderate Party proposed an amendment to the abortion law so that women would be able to have medical abortions at home and not be required to go to hospital, as is the case currently.

Sveriges Radio Ekot reports that there is already widespread support for the change among Sweden’s political parties, with only the Christian Democrats against. According to sexual education charity RFSU, which is also supportive of the proposed change, 96 percent of abortions carried out in Sweden are medical (as opposed to surgical).

“If this is an important issue for women in a difficult situation, then we should not sit and claim that legislation from 1974 is the most relevant, we have to look at the issue,” Kristina Nilsson, the Social Democrat Deputy Chairperson of the parliamentary Social Affairs Committee, told Ekot.

Swedish vocabulary: abortion – abort

An update on vaccine passes for foreign residents

Sweden’s e-Health Agency has submitted a report on expanding the Covid-19 vaccine pass to more groups, including people without a personnummer and people vaccinated abroad. We will have an update on this shortly.

Who will win the Physics Nobel?

We’ll find out later this morning in the second Nobel Prize announcement of the season, after yesterday’s prize in medicine went to US duo David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for discoveries on receptors for temperature and touch.

According to experts, some of the possible favourites include France’s Alain Aspect for his research into quantum entanglement, Americans Charles Bennett and Peter Shor and Canada’s Gilles Brassard for their work on quantum computing, or Britain’s John Pendry for his work on what has been dubbed an invisibility cloak.

Swedish vocabulary: physics – fysik

Public Health Agency recommends Pfizer vaccine for children

With vaccination of 12-15-year-olds set to get underway from next week in most parts of Sweden, the Public Health Agency has recommended that children in this age group only receive the Pfizer/BionTech vaccine.

The reason is that Pfizer’s vaccine has been used to a greater extent among this age group and therefore there is more data about it.

Meanwhile, for most adults receiving a third dose of the vaccine, the agency has recommended either a full dose of the Pfizer vaccine or a half dose of Moderna. People with weakened immune systems however can receive a full dose of Moderna.

Swedish vocabulary: to recommend – rekommendera

Electricity prices soar again

The minus figures for electricity prices which we reported on in yesterday’s Today in Sweden didn’t last long.

After a low of 9.3 öre per kilowatt hour (kWh) across the whole country on Sunday, Monday saw the price increase in all of Sweden, with a 1417 percent rise in electricity area four (south-western Sweden, including Malmö) to reach 141 öre per kWh. Electricity area 3, which encompasses Stockholm and the south-east, saw a 512 percent increase. 

The high prices returned even despite strong winds on Monday; wind power accounts for a lot of Sweden’s electricity production and Sunday’s drop was due to the large amount of energy being produced. Prices have been high not just in Sweden but across Europe since September.

Swedish vocabulary: strong winds – kraftiga vindar