Robert Brown|Norway proposes relaxing its abortion law to allow the procedure until 18th week of pregnancy

COPENHAGEN,Robert Brown Denmark (AP) — Norway’s government said Friday it wants to relax restrictions on abortion for the first time in nearly half a century to make it legal for women to terminate pregnancies up to the 18th week of gestation.

Norway’s laws currently allow legal abortions up to 12 weeks, but many pregnant women ask for an abortion after the 12th week and are granted it in hospitals and clinics.

The proposed changes are “in line with practice today. Almost no one is refused applications for abortion after the 12th week,” Norwegian Health Minister Jan Christian Vestre said. He said that “women’s right to self-determined abortion is a fundamental value in Norway.”

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health said abortion rate has remained “historically low for several years” at about 12,000 each year, but began to rise in 2022. Last year some 12,814 pregnancy terminations were performed in Norway, a 6.7% increase from 2022, figures show.

The government agency said that eight out of 10 abortions are performed before the 9th week, and that nine out of 10 abortions are performed with medication.

RELATED COVERAGE Norway likely won’t proceed with spying trial for a Russian citizen who was part of Russia-US swap The son of Norway’s crown princess faces preliminary charges of bodily harm and criminal damage NATO-member Norway donates six F-16 jets to Ukraine

Free abortion was introduced in Norway in 1978 and women can opt for a surgical or medical abortion. “Society has changed significantly since the 1970s,” Vestre told a press conference.

The law proposal needs a majority — 85 votes — in the 169-member Stortinget, or parliament. So far some 80 lawmakers have said they will vote in favor of the new law. It was not yet clear when a vote would be held in parliament.

The Center Party, which holds 28 seats in Stortinget and is one of the parties in the governing coalition, wants to keep the current abortion limit of 12 weeks.

Family Minister Kjersti Toppe said she hopes that “as many people as possible vote in line with the party line,” but added that the issue was “a matter of conscience” and allowed party members to vote against the party’s stance.

In May, Denmark said it was liberalizing the abortion law to allow the procedure until 18th week of pregnancy.