Low voter turnout prevents approval of Portugal referendum on abortion restrictions

Voters in Portugal on Sunday approved a referendum to legalize abortions during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, but the referendum is invalid because fewer than half of the country's registered voters cast a ballot, the New York Times reports (Sciolino, New York Times, 2/12).

Abortion is illegal in Portugal except when necessary to protect the life or health of a woman or if a woman becomes pregnant as a result of rape. The country in 1998 held a referendum on the issue, but only 32% of registered voters cast a ballot. The Portuguese Parliament in October 2006 approved a government proposal to hold the referendum on Sunday. It asked voters: "Do you agree with the decriminalization of the voluntary interruption of pregnancy, in the first 10 weeks, in a legally authorized health establishment?" (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 2/9). According to the Times, fewer than 44% of the country's 8.8 million registered voters cast a ballot. Of those who voted, 59.25% were in favor of the referendum and 40.75% were against it. The margin in favor of the referendum was higher in urban centers, the Times reports (New York Times, 2/12).

Reaction

Portugal's Prime Minister Jose Socrates, who heads the Socialist Party, at a news conference after the announcement of the referendum's result said the Parliament will enact legislation that would allow women to have an abortion during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports. "Portugal will now tackle abortion in the same way as most other developed European countries," Socrates said, adding that the law would require women seeking abortions to undergo counseling "so that the decision is a considered one, not taken out of desperation." It could take months before the law would go into effect because it would first need to be voted on in Parliament and then sent to Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva for approval, according to the AP/Chronicle. The law would then be published in public records before going into effect (Mateus, AP/Houston Chronicle, 2/12). Socrates said that voters "spoke with a clear voice" and that the law "will be discussed and approved in Parliament." He added, "Our interest is to fight clandestine abortion, and we have to produce a law that respects the results of the referendum." Opponents of the referendum said Socrates should not change the law because fewer than half of registered voters voted in the referendum (New York Times, 2/12). "Socrates will be responsible for this sad chapter in Portugal's history for insisting on a political move that has split Portuguese society," Jose Ribeiro e Castro, head of the Partido Popular party, said, adding, "Low voter turnout has confirmed that (abortion) was not a critical issue" (Bugge, Reuters, 2/11).

PRI's "The World" on Friday reported on the referendum. The segment includes comments from Portuguese voters, a spokesperson for the Catholic church in Portugal, an abortion rights advocate and Marina Costa Loba, an expert on Portuguese society at the Institute of Social Sciences in Lisbon, Portugal (Hadden, "The World," PRI, 2/9). Audio of the segment is available online.