Abortion in Finland

Abortion is legal and free of charge upon request in Finland in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy since 1 September 2023.

Between 1960 and 2023, abortion was widely accessible in practice for a variety of reasons (including socioeconomic factors), but nevertheless, the law required the pregnant woman to state her motivations and get approval from one or two doctors.

By international standards, political controversy in Finland regarding abortion has been mild, and incidence is low.

[5] Additionally, if a woman was impregnated as a result of rape, it could not be used as the reason for abortion if charges had not been prosecuted against the alleged rapist.

[12] The 1970 law also allowed abortion up to 20 weeks of pregnancy in the event of fetal deformity or a physical threat to the woman's health.

In 2020, a citizens' initiative led by the Feminist Association, with the aim of updating the law and allowing elective abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, has gathered over 50,000 signatures, the necessary threshold to compel the Parliament to consider the proposal.