PSD commits to comply with abortion law (without predicting new changes)

O PSD undertook to “fight for the law” of abortion to be fulfilled and there is no “a red treadmill”, with the “vice” of the bench Paulo Lopes Marcelo to remember that the government program does not foresee any change.

In a colloquium on abortion in Portugal held at the Assembly of the Republic, promoted by the Portuguese Federation for Life (FPV), representatives of the PSD, CDS-PP and Arrivo were present, after the initiative was opened the former Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho said that there is a “good opportunity” to resume measures of his last Government that were repealed in 2015.

These rules, which were in force for a few months, were the introduction of moderating rates for the Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy (IVG) or the obligation for pregnant women to go to consultations with a psychologist and a social technician.

Later, without the former leader of the PSD in the room, the challenge was resumed by the moderator, former MP of the CDS-PP Margarida Neto, and by some members of the public, questioning the PSD because it does not take advantage of the current parliamentary composition to change the law in the sense suggested by Passos Coelho.

In the answer, the PSD Member Paulo Lopes Marcelo recalled the commitment made by the party president and Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, that there would be no changes on the legal framework of abortion, stressing that it is also not in the program of the previous and current executives PSD/CDS-PP.

“Here we are to fulfill the government’s program, to fight for life and to fight in concrete order for the law that is in force to be fulfilled, something that does not happen at the moment,” he said.

Paulo Lopes Marcelo stressed that what was approved in the 2008 referendum was the decriminalization of abortion, “not liberalisation, nor the facilitation of abortion.”.

“What public institutions really have to comply with the law and we don’t have a red treadmill here for the practice of abortion in our hospitals and with the money from our taxes,” he said, ensuring that the PSD fights for “a culture of life” in institutions.

The congressman said that “the provision of necessary information to pregnant women is not being fulfilled, saying that the PSD has urged both the Directorate-General for Health and the Ministry of Health, so that these institutions provide “concrete and objective information of alternatives and support” so that women can “exercise their right not to abort”.

Rather, the parliamentary leader of the CDS-PP, Paulo Nuncio, made a point of saying that he spoke the “personal title”, but recalled that his party made proposals in January last year that recovered the measures approved in 2015 by the Government of Passos Coelho, which were rejected by the coalition partner.

Núncio stressed that the coalition agreement provides that the two parties are autonomous in matters of fundamental rights and conscience and that “for the CDS life is not forgotten”.

Also the MP of the Arrival Madalena Cordeiro said that the party has already submitted – in January of last year – projects for “there is a real choice” of women, including through the provision of “compulsory information” on the options and support available, as well as the extension of the duration of the prenatal family allowance or the creation of tax incentives for companies that hire pregnant women or recent mothers.

“The Enough finds it essential to protect freedom of conscience and prison sentences up to three years for those who coerce a woman to abort,” he added.

In the end, the chairman of the FPV, the former MEP of the PSD Isilda Pegado, admitted that the federation could, as in 2015, present a new citizens' legislative initiative to the parliament to resume the proposals made 11 years ago and that led to the changes introduced by the second executive of Passos Coelho.