Women seeking an abortion in Norway face waits that differ by several weeks depending on where they live, the Norwegian broadcaster NRK reports.
Most abortions are carried out with pills at home after a hospital appointment. The University Hospital of North Norway in Tromsø generally prefers not to see patients before the ninth week of pregnancy, so that an ultrasound can confirm the pregnancy is inside the womb; it says many of its patients live far from hospital. Bergen has had no lower limit since October, while Gjøvik and Lillehammer start from week five and Trondheim from week six.
Siri Kløkstad, a gynaecologist at the Sex og samfunn clinic in Oslo, called the Tromsø practice inhumane. The department head there, Ingard Nilsen, rejected that, though he conceded the regional differences were not ideal and said the routine might be reviewed.
Source: NRK