Gibraltarians vote in long-awaited abortion referendum

The people of Gibraltar have been voting in a referendum to amend the country’s draconian abortion laws.

Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory in southern Spain with a population of some 32,000 people, has some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe, with pregnancy termination legal only under the circumstances it would save a mother’s life.

The referendum will decide whether the Crimes (Amendment) Act 2019 should come into force.

The amendment would see abortion become legal up to 12 weeks in the case that a mother’s physical or mental health is at risk, or beyond if such damages were deemed potentially fatal. There would be no time limit in the case of foetal physical anomaly.

The referendum was originally set to be held on 19 March 2020 but was delayed due to the outbreak of the pandemic and concerns that the legitimacy of the vote could be called into question at a time when the elderly population had been advised to stay at home.

While people in Gibraltar were often able to legally access abortion healthcare across the border in Spain, the pandemic made this more difficult.

Selena Victory, of the official pro-choice campaign, Gibraltar For Yes!, told The Independent in March that they had obtained statistics indicating a 75 per cent rise in abortions throughout the pandemic, adding that, “even during lockdown, and even during the toughest restrictions on travel, people will find a way of accessing abortions”.

The referendum was rescheduled for today on 11 March 2021, followed by a three-month rehashing of last year’s divisive campaign.

Fabian Picardo, the country’s Chief Minister and leader of the Socialist Labour Party has publicly backed the official pro-choice campaign, Gibraltar for Yes, along with the leader of the Liberal Party and the Together Gibraltar party.

The leader of the main opposition, the Gibraltar Social Democrats, is against the proposed alterations.

The anti-choice lobby is mainly supported by religious groups. About 80 per cent of Gibraltarians are Catholic, and the Bishop of Gibraltar has spoken out against the proposed changes.

While it is still unclear what the result will be, a poll taken last year by the Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation showed 70 per cent in favour of amending the law. At the time, only 19 per cent intended to vote against.