Lisbon, Portugal
Two women were acquitted this week of having had illegal abortions, in a case that riveted Portugal for more than a year. The trial ended when the prosecution conceded it did not have enough evidence against the two. Portugal has one of the strictest bans on abortion in Europe, allowing the procedure only in cases of rape or to protect a woman’s health. Still, some 30,000 Portuguese women get illegal abortions every year, though prosecutions are rare. Opponents of the ban nearly got it lifted through a national referendum in 1998, and are trying again this year with a new referendum. Polls show most Portuguese favor more permissive laws.
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