I’m all for receiving exports from you in terms of science, inventions, good books, music and actors. That’s cool. But there’s one thing I would’ve appreciated you’d have kept for yourselves:
40 Days For Life
This despicable anti-abortion propaganda group has now begun their first serious campaign. On the road leading to Holbæk hospital they have placed posters depicting aborted foetuses – as they are wont to do. Disgusting images that do not even have relevance in our nation.
See, here in Denmark abortion has been legal for many years. Since 1973 abortion has been free and legal until the 12th week of the pregnancy. And it really is free, due to our socialised health care. You don’t have to pay a single dime to have an abortion.
Until the 8th week the abortion will be done by medicine, Mifepriston. About a third of all abortions in Denmark are done this way.
From 8th to 12th week it will be a surgical abortion. About two thirds of all abortions in Denmark are of this kind.
Sounds terrible, no?
After the 12th week, they use what I think is what Americans call partial-birth abortion due to the size of the foetus. This is why abortion after the 12th week must be reviewed by a team of doctors before being granted. Partial-birth does have more significant risks for the mother, than the other two less invasive procedures do. But generally, due to abortion being free and legal, rarely is partial-birth abortion necessary in cases that do not involve foetal or maternal distress, because if it’s ‘only’ a matter of wanting a baby or not, the decision is free to be made before the 12th week. As a result, only 4% of abortions in Denmark are of the partial-birth kind. And none of them happen after the 22nd week, which is the limit of legal abortion.
Since ‘89 it has been illegal to force doctors, nurses, midwives and other carers to assist at abortion if they do not wish to do so. Other medical professionals will take over. It’s fairly simple around here, because most of our hospitals are public and therefore duty-bound to offer the service that is guaranteed us by law.
Admittedly, the amount of late abortions have gone up slightly the past few years. Most likely because of a combination of more detailed foetal diagnostics and poorer average health among the population, resulting in slightly more women not being able to survive a pregnancy. And this even though the overall number of abortions have gone down.
When applying for a late abortion one MUST have good reason for not continuing the pregnancy. Defects or hereditary conditions not diagnosed till after the 12th week are always granted permission as far as I know, as are abortions that are necessary due to rape or incest (basically criminally caused pregnancies). For the same reason girls under the age of 15 (the age of consent) will always be granted an abortion unless they’re beyond the 22 week limit where the foetus is considered viable. If the mother’s life is in danger abortion will always be granted, though after 22 weeks it will be an induced birth (or if necessary c-section) to attempt to save the viable foetus as well.
The Danish branch of Right to Life had their plans for an abortion memorial foiled by the Supreme Court a couple of years ago due to a technicality. I certainly hope that these groups which fundamentalist Americans have so kindly exported to us do not gain much of a foothold here. But I do think their chances are small, considering that the Christian-Democrats lost all their seats in parliament for lack of votes not so long ago. We have a strong tradition for not mixing religion and politics, so I think we’ll be okay.
Now I just wish the 40 Days For Life bigots would leave well enough alone and not attempt to trigger the women, who had to abort a wanted child late in order to save their lives. The only people they’ll hit with this campaign, namely those women who had late abortions due to complications (or rape/incest), are the ones who need it least of all.
Why is this so? Because most abortions are early abortions, where not much of a foetus is seen anyway, so all those scary pictures of aborted foetuses that look like children? They don’t apply to 96% of abortions in this country anyway.
I am glad that the news channels didn’t even deign to show pictures of the posters. They didn’t so much as mention them among the headlines. They were just a little side-note on text-tv. Nonetheless, these bigoted groups are one of our more unfortunate imports from America. Keep them to yourselves, guys. Please?
Filed under: Courts & Justice, Feminism, Health care, Kyriarchy, Media, Politics
Far better solution would be to ban this 40 days for life, their organization and the crap that they pander. On the grounds that they incite disorder, are exporting their propaganda against the established Danish Laws and modus operandi of Danish society, which is far better happier, more in touch with their way of life, what is good for their country and all other aspects of the Danish life and Society.
Just to point out: large pluralities of the Usonian population are strongly pro-choice and the phrase “partial birth” is NOT used by Americans, just the minority who are anti-choice. On the rare occasion the topic comes up at all, it’s D&X.
Sounds like related laws in DK are fairly similar to those in most US states. I am a bit curious as to whether it’s an “import” from the USA, or merely some people who think the same way.
It’s an import because of the group’s name. 40 Days For Life is an American group who strongly advocates against abortion using that “partial birth” term for it. People from the America group were actually involved in spreading the propaganda and setting up a Danish fraction of it. I figure by now the Danish fraction runs itself, but yeah, it’s an import. We’ve never seen that kind of abortion hullawazooey here, not even from the Christian party in parliament, until American groups started exporting their bigotry. It is very far outside the Danish way of life and norm, but just like some Danes can be blindsided into believing in the brainwashing done by Scientology and Jehoa’s Witnesses, some can be pulled into this ridiculous fear of “child-slaughter” as well. Just because Danes as a rule are more open about these things, doesn’t mean some of us aren’t a little naïve and easy to dupe (goodness knows there are times I’m on the naïve team myself).