(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."
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Junno Arocho Esteves writes for OSV News from
Rome.
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