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HEALTH

Norwegian government seeks to extend abortion limit

Norway's self-determined abortion limit will be extended from 12 to 18 weeks under a change of law put forward by the country's government on Friday.

Published: 23 August 2024 13:38 CEST
Pictured is Norway's parliament.
Norway's abortion limit could be extended to 18 weeks under new rules put forward by the government. Pictured is Norway's parliament. Photo by Roma Oslo / GettyImages.

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.

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POLITICS

How Norway’s disability benefit rules can lock foreigners out

Norway's disability benefit rules mean that foreigners may be unable to apply or receive the minimum amount. The Norwegian government has told The Local it has no plans to change the rules.

Published: 30 August 2024 16:48 CEST
How Norway's disability benefit rules can lock foreigners out

Given Norway is known for its strong welfare state, it’s no surprise that there are safety nets available for those who are unable to work due to disability.

Those whose ability to work has been reduced by at least 50 percent due to an illness or injury may be entitled to a disability benefit.

The benefit can be paid out in two different ways: either as a “minimum” amount that is adjusted depending on your situation or 66 percent of your pensionable income in the best three years of the last five before you were unable to work.

More information on how the benefit works can be found on the website of the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration(NAV).

Norway’s disability benefit, therefore, acts as a lifeline for those who can no longer work due to disability.

However, the way the system works means some foreigners can be locked out of applying altogether.

What are the potential issues for foreigners?

To be eligible for disability benefits, the applicant must have been a member of the National Insurance Scheme for at least five years.

This means newer arrivals to Norway can be locked out of applying for the benefit altogether should they become disabled after living in the country for a few years.

“It’s reasonable to require five years of insurance before disability, with exceptions for breaks in coverage, younger individuals, or prior insurance periods,” Ellen Bakken, state secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Inclusion, told The Local. A state secretary is roughly equivalent to a junior minister in other countries.

“We believe it’s fair to require some insurance period in Norway before qualifying for disability benefits, with adjustments based on the length of insurance,” she added.

Pictured is Ellen Bakken

Norway has no plans to changes its disability benefit rules. Pictured is state secretary Ellen Bakken Photo by Simen Gald/ Arbeids- og inkluderingsdepartementet

Eligible applicants receive up to 66 percent of their salary, or any other income that allows for pension contributions to be made, in the five years before they were unable to work.

The three highest earning years are used to calculate the average. However, there is a cap on the income that is calculated.

NAV caps the earnings it uses to calculate disability benefits to six times the national insurance basic amount, which is currently 744,168 kroner.

Therefore, disability benefits in Norway can be up to 491,150 kroner per year at the time of writing, provided the applicants’ earnings were high enough in the years before they became disabled.

Applicants without an income can instead apply for a minimum amount. The minimum payment will depend on the applicant’s membership in the National Insurance Scheme.

The length of membership required to receive the full minimum payment is 40 years. Potential future membership years up to the age of 66 are accounted for in this requirement. 

Part of the requirement can also be deducted by NAV and more information on how it calculates the national insurance scheme period can be found in the administration’s regulations.

At the time of writing, NAV’s minimum rate for somebody with enough years in the National Insurance Scheme is between 288,000 and 313,000 kroner. However, young disabled people receive a higher minimum disability benefit rate.

If a person doesn’t have enough years in the national insurance scheme to receive the minimum amount they will receive a benefit scaled down to account for their years spent in the national insurance scheme. 

For foreigners in Norway, this means that they must have earned over 501,000 kroner per year in the years before they became disabled to receive the equivalent of the minimum amount via the income rules.

When asked by The Local whether the current disability benefit scheme punished those with the lowest incomes, Bakken said that the government’s priority was to get more people into work.

“The most important thing we can do to prepare Norway for the future is to get more people into work and fewer on benefits,” she said.

“Work is beneficial for the individual and necessary for society. It provides an income to live on and a sense of belonging. Work promotes equality, integration, reduces inequality, and combats poverty. It finances our welfare system,” the state secretary added.

Furthermore, the state secretary told The Local that there were no plans to change the country’s disability benefit rules.

“At the moment we have no plans to propose changes in rules on the disability benefit,” Bakken said.

What happens if you aren’t eligible for disability benefits?

If you aren’t covered by Norway’s disability scheme, there are several alternative options.

Firstly, you may be eligible to receive welfare payments from your home country to Norway—however, this will not be the case for everyone, and how much you will receive will depend on your country’s rules and whether it has an agreement in place with Norway.

Should you have private health insurance or disability insurance, then you could also potentially receive a payout in the event you can no longer work. Still, disability insurance policies in Norway are only typically intended to top up disability benefits rather than cover the full lost income.

Finally, there have been cases of NAV paying financial assistance (økonomisk sosialhjelp) to those locked out of the scheme. These payments are only supposed to be a short-term measure and cover the essentials for a short time.

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