Norway to Ireland: “bring abortion laws in line with ICCPR”

By Susan Yoshihara, Ph.D. | October 14, 2011

Ireland’s Universal Periodic Review was, as expected, a forum for European countries to bully their pro-life neighbor into violating in policy its constitutional protection of unborn children.

Norway went so far as to invoke the ICCPR, which never mentions abortion and in no way promotes the liberalization of abortion laws (although the committee that monitors its compliance sometimes pressures nations to liberalize their laws.)

On Monday, the Human Rights Council issued its draft report of the proceedings, excerpted below. (To its credit, Ireland rejected the following suggestions):

107.4. Bring its abortion laws in line with ICCPR (Norway);

107.5. Introduce legislation to implement the European Court of Human Rights judgement in the A, B and C versus Ireland case (United Kingdom );

107.6. Take measures to revise the law on abortion with a view of permitting termination of pregnancy in cases where pregnancy is a result of rape or incest, or in situations where the pregnancy puts the physical or mental health or wellbeing of the pregnant woman or the pregnant girl in danger (Denmark );

107.7. Allow abortion at least when pregnancy poses a risk to the health of the pregnant woman (Slovenia );

107.8. Adopt legislative measure that guaranty greater integration of women as well as the safeguards of their personal rights and reproductive health care and reform the Offense Against Person Act of 1861 to decriminalise abortion under certain circumstances to make the legislative (Spain );

107.9. Ensure that the establishment of an expert group on abortion matters will lead to a coherent legal framework including the provision of adequate services (Netherlands);

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