Women Seeking Abortion Still Experience Stigma In Switzerland

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Abortion has resurfaced as a political issue in Switzerland in the last few years. Debate in many countries has intensified since the federal right to abortion in the United States was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2022. The French parliament is bitterly discussing the introduction of a constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy. In Italy, the opposition is accusing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's party of subtly curtailing access to abortion.

The right to abortion in Switzerland is still governed by the criminal code. In 2002, voters approved legalising the procedure during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy“on written request by the woman, who must confirm that she is in a state of distress”. After 12 weeks, a medical provider must prove the procedure is“necessary to avoid a serious risk of physical harm to, or a state of profound distress in, the pregnant woman”.

The Swiss law, however, does not meet the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO), which were revised last year. The WHO recommends, among other things, that abortion be decriminalised completely and that it be legal at any stage of pregnancy.

In all 32 European countries – including France, Belgium, and the United Kingdom – have already passed abortion legislation outside the framework of criminal law.

So far, the WHO recommendations have failed to win a political majority in Switzerland. In March, parliament rejected an initiative by left-leaning Green Party parliamentarian Léonore Porchet that aimed to remove abortion from the criminal code. The right-wing majority felt the current regulations, in existence for over 20 years, have proven satisfactory.

“It's absurd to think that women who terminate a pregnancy will no longer be stigmatised if we remove abortion rules from the criminal code and create a separate law,” said Swiss People's Party parliamentarian Yves Nidegger during the debates.

Anti-abortion activists have also been unsuccessful in winning over a majority. As in most of Europe, pro-life movements have grown recently in Switzerland. They have campaigned cleverly over the last decade or so to restrict the right to abortion. Despite their efforts, however, they remain in the minority, and their initiatives have never won a popular vote.

Anti-abortion groups recently suffered another loss. In December 2021, two People's Party parliamentarians launched two popular initiatives , drawn up by pro-life organisations, that aimed to restrict access to voluntary terminations. These initiatives failed to collect – by the June 21, 2023, deadline – the 100,000 signatures necessary to trigger a popular vote.