In a historic decision that overturns decades of restrictive legislation, the Faroe Islands Parliament has voted to legalize abortion through the 12th week of pregnancy. The Thursday ballot resulted in an exceptionally narrow margin of 17-16, culminating years of contentious debate in the self-governing Danish territory.
The previous abortion framework, established in 1956, permitted termination only under specific circumstances including rape, incest, fetal abnormalities, or threats to the pregnant person’s health. This placed the archipelago among Europe’s most restrictive jurisdictions regarding reproductive rights. Under the old system, both women and their physicians faced potential imprisonment if abortion procedures didn’t meet stringent criteria.
Ingilín Didriksen Strømm, one of four parliamentarians who introduced the reform legislation, characterized the outcome as “truly an historic day for the Faroe Islands.” She emphasized that the new law “affirms women’s autonomy over their own bodies” while ensuring “access to safe healthcare without fear, stigma, or criminalization.”
The reform represents a significant cultural shift for the relatively conservative society of 56,000 people, where over three-quarters of residents belong to the Lutheran church. Previous liberalization attempts had failed, including a nearly identical bill that resulted in a tied vote just last May.
Pro-choice advocates celebrated the decision as transformative. Bjørt Lind of the advocacy group Fritt Val described abortion as previously being “hidden and taboo in Faroese society,” noting that initially “no one dared to talk about it.” Amnesty International’s Faroe Islands branch welcomed the development as “a huge step for human rights” that will eliminate the need for women to undertake “expensive trips abroad” for procedures.
The new legislation is scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2026, aligning the territory more closely with Denmark’s abortion policies, which were extended to 18 weeks on request earlier this year. While opponents expressed concerns about fetal rights and predicted future attempts to reverse the decision, the vote places the Faroe Islands among the 43 European nations that permit abortion on request during early pregnancy.