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European Court Rules Portugal Broke the Law by Blocking Abortion Boat

By Hilary White
 
STRASBOURG, February 4, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the Portuguese government broke the law in preventing the Dutch abortion boat from landing when it attempted to enter Portuguese territory in 2004, when abortion was against the law. Abortionist and foundress of the "Women on Waves" project, Rebecca Gomperts, said she is delighted with the finding. "We shall use the judgment for new campaigns outside Europe," she said.
 
In 2004, the abortion ship was denied access to Portuguese ports by politicians and the courts. Portuguese officials ordered two naval vessels out to ensure that it would not enter Portugal's sovereign waters. At that time, Portugal had some of the strongest legal protections for unborn children anywhere in Europe.

The Court unanimously decided that there was a breach of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The court ruled that in seeking to prevent disorder and protect public health, the Portuguese authorities could have resorted to other means that were less restrictive of "Women on Waves'' human rights. Article 10 is the section of the Convention dealing with "expression".
 
The Women on Waves organization boasts that the purpose of the project is to have the ship "circumvent domestic abortion laws" by offering abortion drugs free of charge. In 2007, however, a report published by the Times of Malta said that the boat's license restricts abortion activity to countries where a "cooperation agreement has been reached with a regional hospital in the country of whose shores the facility is operating."
 
In June 1998 a law that decriminalized abortion during the first ten weeks of pregnancy, proposed by the Portuguese Communist party, was defeated in the country's first national referendum. In 2007, after the election of a socialist government, although a second referendum failed to pass a similar measure, a new law was approved that allows abortion on demand up to the tenth week of pregnancy.
 
In 2003 the ship was greeted in Poland with a hail of eggs, red paint and shouts condemning the abortionists aboard as "murderers" and "Gestapo". Polish customs officials searched the boat looking for abortion pills which are illegal in Poland.
 
Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

License Prevents Dutch Abortion Boat from Operating in Countries Outlawing Procedure, Pro Life Group Says
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/apr/07043002.html

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