pic: courtnewsohio.gov
Abortion and the Sweden Democrats – in the same post. Read on.
Here are the basics for Sweden: abortions are free, it’s the woman who decides, and up to and including the 18th week of pregnancy, a woman doesn’t have to say why or who or what or anything at all about her reasons for asking for an abortion. After that, there have to be reasons for not carrying to term, which have to be articulated to, or by, the National Board of Health and Welfare (socialstyrelsen). After 21 weeks and 6 days, the window for abortion is closed: After this date, a foetus is considered viable outside the womb. In very very few and drastic cases, there are abortions after this date. For those who don’t know, a pregnancy is about 40 weeks long.
Up until just now, the Sweden Democrats party has had a party platform advocating a 12 week limit for free and unquestioned abortions, instead of the current 18 week restriction. 12 weeks is, frankly, barely long enough to even think one might be pregnant, and to take a test to find out at home in one’s bathroom – let alone schedule a clinic visit.
After a slew of letters sent in to the party’s headquarters making a motion for a change, Jimmie Åkesson, Sweden Democrats’ party leader, announced that they will no longer have the 12-week limit in their party program. In his words: “We put together a group to look at this question, and they’ve come to the same conclusion: If the goal is to reduce the number of abortions, even down to the Nordic levels, it’s not laws there are going to get us there and definitely not discussions on when it’s legal to terminate a pregnancy.” “Not even with the current reach of medicine is a foetus viable outside the womb before 18 weeks, Åkesson said, so there’s no reason to change the 18 week ceiling” (DN.se/pregnancy). It is not a coincidence that Åkesson announced this at a meeting of female SD party members in Norrköping.
Is it the influx of women in their ranks that have made them go up a grade on the enlightenment scale? Or is it just a measure to increase their popularity outside of their faithful rank and file – making themselves more palatable, perhaps, to the greater Swedish population? It isn’t a bad position to have come to, by any means, and welcome. But with all political ideas that change quite drastically, it’s wise to question how deep the conviction goes before trusting it with one’s own body.