2007 Portuguese abortion referendum

2007 Portuguese abortion referendum
11 February 2007
Are you in agreement with the decriminalization of the voluntary interruption of pregnancy, if carried out, by the woman's choice, in the first ten weeks in a legally authorized health institution?
Results
Choice
 Votes %
Yes 2,231,529 59.25%
No 1,534,669 40.75%
Valid votes 3,766,198 98.07%
Invalid or blank votes 73,978 1.93%
Total votes 3,840,176 100.00%
Registered voters/turnout 8,814,016 43.57%
Results

An abortion referendum took place in Portugal on 11 February 2007, to decide whether to legalise abortion up to ten weeks. The referendum was the fulfillment of an election pledge by the governing Socialist Party of Prime Minister José Sócrates.

Official results of the referendum showed that 59.24 percent of the Portuguese approved the proposal put on ballot, while 40.76 percent rejected it. However, only 43.61 percent of the registered voters turned out to vote. Since voter turnout was below 50 percent, according to the Portuguese Constitution, these results are not legally binding, and parliament can legally decide to disregard them. Prime Minister Sócrates nevertheless confirmed that he would expand the circumstances under which abortion was allowed, since a majority of voters had been in favour.

The law was ratified by President Aníbal Cavaco Silva on 10 April 2007.

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