Gibraltar votes to ease tough abortion laws

Gibraltar voted to relax its tough anti-abortion laws in a referendum on Thursday.

The tiny British territory has some of the harshest abortion laws in Europe – the penalty for breaching the law is life imprisonment.

Voters backed relaxing the rules to allow abortions where a woman’s mental or physical health is at risk or when foetuses have fatal physical defects.

Some 62% voted to change the law, with 36% voting against.

Unlike in England, Scotland and Wales – where abortion can legally be performed – abortion in Gibraltar is punishable by life imprisonment, though no-one has ever been convicted in modern times.

Until now, women wanting to have an abortion have had to travel to Spain or Britain.

Gibraltar’s voters were asked to approve a change to the law to allow abortions within 12 weeks of pregnancy if going ahead would be riskier to the woman’s mental or physical health – such as in cases of rape or incest – or afterwards, when foetuses have fatal physical defects.

Photo: Several vehicles wait in a queue to enter Gibraltar at the border crossing in the Spanish town of Linea de la Concepcion, in Spain EPA-EFE/A.Carrasco Ragel

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