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Utvecklingen av den svenska abortlagstiftningen under 1900-talet

Wibring, Carolina LU (2018) LAGF03 20181
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract (Swedish)
Under början av 1900-talet var illegala aborter ett samhällsproblem i Sverige. Fosterfördrivning var straffbelagt, kvinnor som blivit ovilligt gravida stod därför inför valet att antingen föda barnet eller genomföra abort på egen hand. År 1939 trädde den första lagen på området, lagen om avbrytande av havandeskap, 1938 års lag, i kraft. Lagen tillämpades mycket restriktivt och antalet illegala aborter fortsatte öka. För att försöka åtgärda detta problem tillades ytterligare grunder för abort i lagen. I strävan att hålla kvinnorna borta från illegala aborter försökte staten även underlätta den gravida kvinnans livssituation. Under 1940-talet med syfte att hon skulle föda barnet. Under 1960-talet för den gravida kvinnans fria val och för att... (More)
Under början av 1900-talet var illegala aborter ett samhällsproblem i Sverige. Fosterfördrivning var straffbelagt, kvinnor som blivit ovilligt gravida stod därför inför valet att antingen föda barnet eller genomföra abort på egen hand. År 1939 trädde den första lagen på området, lagen om avbrytande av havandeskap, 1938 års lag, i kraft. Lagen tillämpades mycket restriktivt och antalet illegala aborter fortsatte öka. För att försöka åtgärda detta problem tillades ytterligare grunder för abort i lagen. I strävan att hålla kvinnorna borta från illegala aborter försökte staten även underlätta den gravida kvinnans livssituation. Under 1940-talet med syfte att hon skulle föda barnet. Under 1960-talet för den gravida kvinnans fria val och för att underlätta hennes familjeliv. Även preventiva åtgärder har varit en viktig verksamhet. Tillämpningen av 1938 års lag förändrades i takt med samhällets värderingar och synen på den traditionella kvinnorollen. Kvinnans rätt att själv bestämma om och när hon ville försöka skaffa barn var under 1960-talet allmänna värderingar. Det var tydligt att 1938 års lag var utdaterad. Den 1 januari 1975 trädde dagens abortlag i kraft. Med lagen instiftades den fria aborträtten i Sverige som i princip ger en kvinna rätt till abort vid begäran förutsatt att hennes graviditet inte är för långt gången.
Utvecklingen av abortlagstiftningen utreds i uppsatsen ur ett rätts- utvecklingsperspektiv. Med grund i de juridiska frågorna utreds varför abortlagstiftningens utveckling ser ut som den gör samt hur den verkliga abortsituationen såg ut. De två lagstiftningarna som behandlat abortfrågan genom svensk historia speglade båda synen på kvinnan och hennes roll i samhället under tiden de trädde i kraft. Vilken effekt abortlagstiftningen hade på andra områden än just rättsområdet behandlas också i uppsatsen. Reformarbetet för att minska antalet illegala aborter i Sverige ledde till utveckling av välfärden genom sociala och ekonomiska stödåtgärder. Materialet som ligger till grund för uppsatsen består huvudsakligen av lagförarbeten och lagtext. (Less)
Abstract
Illegal abortions were a social issue in Sweden during the 20th century. Abortions were punishable, and therefore a woman who became pregnant against her will stood before the choice of either unwillingly giving birth or carrying out an abortion on her own. In 1939 the first law on abortions came into force. The law was restrictively interpreted and the number of illegal abortions continued to increase. In order to try to deal with this problem, additional grounds for abortion were added. In efforts to keep women away from illegal abortions, the state also sought to facilitate the pregnant women's life situations – during the 1940s because they wanted them to give birth, during the 1960s because of the pregnant women's free choice and to... (More)
Illegal abortions were a social issue in Sweden during the 20th century. Abortions were punishable, and therefore a woman who became pregnant against her will stood before the choice of either unwillingly giving birth or carrying out an abortion on her own. In 1939 the first law on abortions came into force. The law was restrictively interpreted and the number of illegal abortions continued to increase. In order to try to deal with this problem, additional grounds for abortion were added. In efforts to keep women away from illegal abortions, the state also sought to facilitate the pregnant women's life situations – during the 1940s because they wanted them to give birth, during the 1960s because of the pregnant women's free choice and to ease their family life. Preventative measures have also been an important measure. As the values and views of the society regarding the female role changed, so did the adjudication process of the abortion law. The woman's right to decide for herself if and when she wanted to get pregnant and have a baby was the general value during the 1960s. The law from 1939 was clearly outdated. On January 1st, 1975, todays law on abortions came into force. The law established the free abortion right in Sweden which essentially entitles the woman to get an abortion on request, provided her pregnancy is not too far advanced.
The development of the legislation of abortions is researched from a legal development perspective. The essay answers the question how the abortion legislation developed and what the actual abortion situations looked like. The overall perception of the woman and her role in society reflected both abortion legislations as they came into force. The overall effects on other areas besides the legislative are also discussed in this essay. The reforms to reduce the number of illegal abortions in Sweden led to the development of welfare through social and economic support measures. The material on which the essay is based consists mainly of abortion legislation and legislative history. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Wibring, Carolina LU
supervisor
organization
course
LAGF03 20181
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
rättshistoria, rättsvetenskap, abortlagstiftning
language
Swedish
id
8941583
date added to LUP
2018-07-15 13:35:31
date last changed
2018-07-15 13:35:31
@misc{8941583,
  abstract     = {{Illegal abortions were a social issue in Sweden during the 20th century. Abortions were punishable, and therefore a woman who became pregnant against her will stood before the choice of either unwillingly giving birth or carrying out an abortion on her own. In 1939 the first law on abortions came into force. The law was restrictively interpreted and the number of illegal abortions continued to increase. In order to try to deal with this problem, additional grounds for abortion were added. In efforts to keep women away from illegal abortions, the state also sought to facilitate the pregnant women's life situations – during the 1940s because they wanted them to give birth, during the 1960s because of the pregnant women's free choice and to ease their family life. Preventative measures have also been an important measure. As the values and views of the society regarding the female role changed, so did the adjudication process of the abortion law. The woman's right to decide for herself if and when she wanted to get pregnant and have a baby was the general value during the 1960s. The law from 1939 was clearly outdated. On January 1st, 1975, todays law on abortions came into force. The law established the free abortion right in Sweden which essentially entitles the woman to get an abortion on request, provided her pregnancy is not too far advanced.
The development of the legislation of abortions is researched from a legal development perspective. The essay answers the question how the abortion legislation developed and what the actual abortion situations looked like. The overall perception of the woman and her role in society reflected both abortion legislations as they came into force. The overall effects on other areas besides the legislative are also discussed in this essay. The reforms to reduce the number of illegal abortions in Sweden led to the development of welfare through social and economic support measures. The material on which the essay is based consists mainly of abortion legislation and legislative history.}},
  author       = {{Wibring, Carolina}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Utvecklingen av den svenska abortlagstiftningen under 1900-talet}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}