Swiss court ruling: only mothers have legal say in abortion cases.
Switzerland’s highest court has ruled against the father of an unborn child, who had sued his ex-partner for terminating pregnancy at an advanced stage.
Abortions are legal in Switzerland if they take place in the first twelve weeks of pregnancy.
If a woman has an abortion later, she is punished with up to three years in prison – unless she was deemed to be in an emergency situation.
The highest Swiss court sees things differently: it states that the ban on late-term abortions protects the unborn child, not the man involved.
And because a foetus does not have legal personality before birth, the father cannot be regarded as a victim.
The legal scholar believes it is right that the law protects mothers from being pressurised by their partners. »
