Victory! Gibraltar votes decisively to end draconian abortion restrictions

25 June, 2021

 

The people of Gibraltar have voted decisively in a territory-wide referendum to change their abortion law, removing some of the harshest restrictions in Europe. 62% of voters supported removing the penalty of life imprisonment for a woman seeking an abortion. Terminations will now become legally and safely accessible up to 12 weeks of gestation if there is a risk to the woman’s physical or mental health. Abortion will also be permitted in cases of rape and incest and after 12 weeks if there is a diagnosis of fatal foetal abnormalities.

The vote represents a major step forward in the realisation of women’s sexual and reproductive rights in the territory. Women will no longer be forced to travel internationally to receive healthcare. Gibraltar’s Government has committed to implementing these new laws within 28 days.

The referendum happened as a result of a 2018 UK Supreme Court  ruling into Northern Ireland’s abortion laws. There it concluded that Northern Ireland’s laws were incompatible with human rights law. Humanists UK was First Intervener in the case, supporting the need for change. Gibraltar’s abortion laws were identical to the now-changed laws in Northern Ireland. Humanists UK also responded to a 2018 consultation by the Gibraltar Government on the matter. Its called for abortion to be removed from criminal law and instead be regulated like all other medical procedures.

Humanists UK’s Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson commented, ‘We are delighted that the people of Gibraltar have so strongly voted in favour of women’s rights and that the Government will immediately implement this change. It has been a long journey since the Government acknowledged that change had to take place back in 2018. We hope that Gibraltar’s laws will now meet the UK’s international obligations to eradicate discrimination and violence against women and girls.’

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For further comment or information, please contact Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson at press@humanists.uk or phone 020 7324 3072 or 020 3675 0959.

Read more about our work on abortion rights.

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