Under current rules, women need to make an application to a medical assessment board to determine whether an abortion can be granted after 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Medical boards in Norway consider around 600 applications every year. The proposed change would also shake up how these boards worked.
“This is in line with practice today. Almost no one gets applications for abortion rejected after week 12,” health minister Jan Christian Vestre said at a press conference Friday.
Proposed changes to the law would be made to how multifoetal pregnancy reductions, a procedure to reduce the number of foetuses in a pregnancy, are regulated.
These procedures would be classed as abortions should the new laws be adopted, and women would be allowed to freely decide on these up until week 18 of the pregnancy.
“Although the reduction in the number of foetuses does not terminate the pregnancy for all the foetuses, the similarity to other abortions is so great that these interventions should also be regulated in the abortion act,” Vestre said.
“And both in principle, legally and practically, we believe it would not be right that a woman who wants to reduce the number of foetuses should only have an abortion of both foetuses as an alternative,” he added.
Healthcare workers could also exempt themselves from performing procedures for “reasons of conscience” under the new rules.
The government will also propose a new clause to protect the rights of pregnant women and unborn children.
Current rules only allow abortion after week 18 if the pregnancy carries grave risks. Abortion after week 22 of pregnancy is prohibited unless the foetus is not viable.
Norway’s current government is a minority coalition consisting of the Labour Party (AP) and Centre Party (SP). The Centre Party is opposed to the extension of the abortion limit and allowing mothers to freely choose a reduction in the number of foetuses.
Changes to abortion laws will be voted on in parliament. Labour, the Socialist Left Party (SV), the Red Party (R), the Green Party (MDG), and the Liberal Party (V) are all in favour of the new law. According to the Norwegian newspaper VG, this amounts to around 80 votes (85 are required for a majority) in favour of the proposal.
Meanwhile, the Centre Party, Conservative Party (H), Progress Party (FrP) and the Christian Democratic Party (KrF) wish to retain the current abortion limit.
MPs from a handful of the parties will be given a free vote on the issue, meaning majority support could be secured from defectors.
Public broadcaster NRK reports that a handful of Conservative MPs will ask the party for permission to vote freely on the new law.
Member comments