Bill to extend abortion limit to 18 weeks is return to barbarism, Norwegian bishop says

By Junno Arocho Esteves, OSV News

(OSV News) -- A proposed bill in Norway that would extend the limit women have to terminate their pregnancy to 18 weeks is a "barbaric" step away from Norway's Christian and humanistic heritage, said Bishop Bernt Eidsvig of Oslo.

In an interview posted on the Diocese of Oslo's website March 25, Bishop Eidsvig said that because abortion is based on the principle "that life can be taken away without justification, we are already in trouble."

"Some even believe that there should be no limit to abortion -- that children should be able to be removed at the moment of birth. Society is thus no longer humane, but barbaric," he said.

According to Norway's Ministry of Health and Care, a special commission was established by the government in 2022 "to assess the provisions of the Abortion Act," legislation passed in 1975 that allowed women to obtain an abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy.

In December, the special commission submitted its recommendations to the government and proposed "a new abortion law that will safeguard pregnant women's self-determination and access to safe abortions, and at the same time ensure respect for unborn life."

However, despite its assurance to respect unborn life, the commission recommended that the government should extend the limit to have an abortion from 12 weeks to 18 weeks.

In its report, the commission said that with such an extension, a "pregnant woman will then, in most cases, have had time to consider whether she wants to continue or terminate the pregnancy."

Furthermore, "the committee's majority believes that it should still be possible to have an abortion until the end of the 22nd week of pregnancy, but under certain conditions and upon application to an abortion board. The restriction on the pregnant woman’s self-determination is meant to ensure respect for the value of the unborn life," the commission’s report stated.

The government allowed anyone to submit consultations regarding the proposals, prompting Norway’s Council of Catholic Bishops to submit its response March 21. In it, the bishops said the proposed law "cancels the fetus as a subject entitled to rights."

"The proposal to extend the term of free abortion by six weeks contributes to an erosion of (the) legislation's chief task: to protect the integrity of individual persons on the basis of a principle of justice, also when the individual person is powerless, without an ability to speak for her or himself," the bishops said.

Bishop Eidsvig said the proposed bill places Norway on the path "of moving back to the morality of a pre-Christian era."

"It is important to defend life; if you don't defend it, the boundaries can eventually be drawn in a rather crude and merciless manner," he said. "Our principle is that the defenseless should have the right to defend themselves against the strong and I believe a lot of people share that" belief.

The Norwegian bishop added that the proposed law and "the reasoning behind it are a sad symptom of a society turning its back on the weakest" and expressed his concern that the next step in the country’s moral regression will be assisted suicide.

"The arguments are as rational as they are frightening," Bishop Eidsvig said. "If we remove the sick and those in need of care, we also remove financial and emotional burdens. What scares me is that we also remove our humanity."