This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: House has voted to abolish waiting period and give abortion pills to general practitioners. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(June 2022)
Abortion in the Netherlands was fully legalized on November 1, 1984, allowing elective abortion care up to the 24th week of the pregnancy.[1] Abortion for "serious medical reasons" can be performed after 24 weeks.[2] There is a mandatory five-day waiting period for abortions done after your menstrual period is 17 days overdue.[3] However, on June 21, 2022, Dutch parliamentarians approved a law to scrap the mandatory five-day reflection period before undergoing an abortion, saying women, with a joint consultation with the doctor, should be able to determine the time before making a decision. The law is set to come into effect in January of 2023. [4][5]
Pro-abortion rights demonstration in the Netherlands in 1971
Abortion was deemed illegal under the Penal Code of 1886. Convictions were all but precluded, however, by a requirement that the prosecution prove that the fetus had been alive until the abortion. The Morality Acts of 1911 closed this loophole, and strictly barred all abortions, except those performed to save the life of the pregnant woman.
Legalization reached the forefront of public debate in the Netherlands during the 1970s as many other Western European countries liberalized their laws. The Staten-Generaal, however, was unable to reach a consensus between those opposing legalization, those in favor of allowing abortion, and those favoring a compromise measure. A controversial abortion law was passed in 1981 with single swing votes: 76 for and 74 against in the House of Representatives, and 38 for and 37 against in the Senate. The law left abortion a crime, unless performed at a clinic or hospital that is issued an official abortion certificate by the Dutch government, and the woman who is asking for the abortion declares she considers it to be an emergency. The law came into effect on November 1, 1984.
Currently, there are just over 100 Dutch general hospitals certified to perform abortions, and 17 specialized abortion clinics. More than 90% of abortions take place in the specialized clinics.
In the Netherlands, abortion performed by a certified clinic or hospital is effectually allowed at any point between conception and viability, subject to a five-day waiting period. The waiting period does not apply if your menstrual period is less than 17 days overdue (very early stage pregnancy). After the first trimester, the procedure becomes stricter, as two doctors must consent to treatment. In practice, abortions are performed until approximately 24 weeks into pregnancy, although this limit is the topic of ongoing discussion among physicians in the Netherlands, since, due to recent medical advancements, a fetus can sometimes be considered viable prior to 24 weeks. As a result of this debate, abortions are only rarely performed after 22 weeks of pregnancy. Abortions must be performed in a hospital.
The number of abortions has been relatively stable in the 21st century, around 28,000 per year.[6] As of 2010[update], the abortion rate was 9.7 abortions per 1000 women aged 15–44 years (0.97%), one of the lowest in the world.[7]
^Zaken, Ministerie van Algemene (2015-05-11). "What is the time limit for having an abortion? - Government.nl". www.government.nl. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
^Zaken, Ministerie van Algemene (2015-05-11). "I am thinking about getting an abortion. What should I do? - Government.nl". www.government.nl. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
^"Initiatiefvoorstel-Paternotte, Kuiken, Ellemeet en van Wijngaarden Afschaffen verplichte minimale beraadtermijn voor afbreking van zwangerschappen (35.737)".
^"Annual number of abortions stable over the past decade".
^"World Abortion Policies 2013". United Nations. 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
External links
Official Dutch government site on abortion (Dutch)
January 08, 2023
abortion, netherlands, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, . This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Abortion in the Netherlands news newspapers books scholar JSTOR March 2012 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article needs to be updated The reason given is House has voted to abolish waiting period and give abortion pills to general practitioners Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information June 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Abortion in the Netherlands was fully legalized on November 1 1984 allowing elective abortion care up to the 24th week of the pregnancy 1 Abortion for serious medical reasons can be performed after 24 weeks 2 There is a mandatory five day waiting period for abortions done after your menstrual period is 17 days overdue 3 However on June 21 2022 Dutch parliamentarians approved a law to scrap the mandatory five day reflection period before undergoing an abortion saying women with a joint consultation with the doctor should be able to determine the time before making a decision The law is set to come into effect in January of 2023 4 5 Pro abortion rights demonstration in the Netherlands in 1971 Contents 1 History 2 See also 3 References 4 External linksHistory EditAbortion was deemed illegal under the Penal Code of 1886 Convictions were all but precluded however by a requirement that the prosecution prove that the fetus had been alive until the abortion The Morality Acts of 1911 closed this loophole and strictly barred all abortions except those performed to save the life of the pregnant woman Legalization reached the forefront of public debate in the Netherlands during the 1970s as many other Western European countries liberalized their laws The Staten Generaal however was unable to reach a consensus between those opposing legalization those in favor of allowing abortion and those favoring a compromise measure A controversial abortion law was passed in 1981 with single swing votes 76 for and 74 against in the House of Representatives and 38 for and 37 against in the Senate The law left abortion a crime unless performed at a clinic or hospital that is issued an official abortion certificate by the Dutch government and the woman who is asking for the abortion declares she considers it to be an emergency The law came into effect on November 1 1984 Currently there are just over 100 Dutch general hospitals certified to perform abortions and 17 specialized abortion clinics More than 90 of abortions take place in the specialized clinics In the Netherlands abortion performed by a certified clinic or hospital is effectually allowed at any point between conception and viability subject to a five day waiting period The waiting period does not apply if your menstrual period is less than 17 days overdue very early stage pregnancy After the first trimester the procedure becomes stricter as two doctors must consent to treatment In practice abortions are performed until approximately 24 weeks into pregnancy although this limit is the topic of ongoing discussion among physicians in the Netherlands since due to recent medical advancements a fetus can sometimes be considered viable prior to 24 weeks As a result of this debate abortions are only rarely performed after 22 weeks of pregnancy Abortions must be performed in a hospital The number of abortions has been relatively stable in the 21st century around 28 000 per year 6 As of 2010 update the abortion rate was 9 7 abortions per 1000 women aged 15 44 years 0 97 one of the lowest in the world 7 See also EditAbortion in Belgium Abortion in the United Kingdom Abortion law Abortion debate Religion and abortionReferences Edit Zaken Ministerie van Algemene 2015 05 11 Abortion Government nl www government nl Retrieved 2022 03 08 Zaken Ministerie van Algemene 2015 05 11 What is the time limit for having an abortion Government nl www government nl Retrieved 2022 03 08 Zaken Ministerie van Algemene 2015 05 11 I am thinking about getting an abortion What should I do Government nl www government nl Retrieved 2022 03 08 Initiatiefvoorstel Paternotte Kuiken Ellemeet en van Wijngaarden Afschaffen verplichte minimale beraadtermijn voor afbreking van zwangerschappen 35 737 Dutch scrap mandatory abortion reflection period Annual number of abortions stable over the past decade World Abortion Policies 2013 United Nations 2013 Retrieved 3 March 2014 External links EditOfficial Dutch government site on abortion Dutch Official Abortion Physicians site on abortion Dutch Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Abortion in the Netherlands amp oldid 1119129896, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
