Faroe Islands legalise abortion up to 12 weeks

The Faroes parliament approved last Thursday a law that allows voluntary termination of pregnancy up to 12 weeks of gestation. The measure passed by a narrow margin, with 17 votes in favour and 16 against, following sustained pressure from local feminist groups.

Until now, Faroese law permitted abortion only in very exceptional cases, such as serious risk to the mother’s health or fetal inviability. The campaign group Fritt Val (Free Choice), which pushed for the reform, described the vote as a historic milestone for women’s rights.

The Faroe Islands, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, have about 56,000 inhabitants spread across 18 islands and a fertility rate above the European average. Authorities and campaigners said those demographic factors did not prevent a shift toward a more open approach to sexual and reproductive rights.

The decision increases the isolation of Andorra on this issue. With the Faroes’ change, Andorra and the Vatican remain the only European states where abortion is totally prohibited. In Andorra, debate over abortion has intensified in recent years but the law continues to impose a total ban with no exceptions, forcing many women to travel abroad — predominantly to Catalonia — to access termination services, often in conditions of silence and stigma.

By adopting the new law, the Faroe Islands join the majority of European states with more permissive abortion legislation, while the situation in Andorra becomes increasingly exceptional and continues to fuel debate about women’s rights in the Principality.