Denmark looking to legalise abortion for 15-year-olds without parental consent
News comes as the country celebrates 50 years of legalised abortion this week … but not everyone is pleased with new proposal
The Danes were among the first in western Europe to legalise abortion for women over the age of 18 through the 12th week of pregnancy.
Now the government wants to take it a step further by lowering the age limit for abortion without parental consent to 15.
As it stands, girls aged 15-17 can legally have an abortion, but not without permission from their parents.
Abortion can be associated with many emotions, including guilt and shame. It can be humiliating having to ask for parental permission and have far-reaching consequences. We want to change it so young people can decide for themselves whether to include their parents in the decision.
But not everyone is on board with the government’s proposal.
We are talking about children. They are 15 to 16-year-old girls. When something is so important and difficult in a girl’s life, I think most people will agree that parents should be involved.