A court in Aveiro has acquitted seven women accused of having abortions. The doctor who allegedly carried out the abortions, and nine accomplices, including the husbands and boyfriends of the women, were also cleared. The seven women were all accused of voluntarily undergoing abortions at the high-street clinic of an Aveiro doctor.
The women were facing jail terms of up to three years, while the doctor faced eight years in jail. The nine alleged accomplices included the parents or partners of the women, who were accused of accompanying them to the clinic, the doctor’s sister and two of the clinic’s employees. Although these people were not facing prison, it was the first time that anyone has been charged as an accomplice under Portugal’s abortion laws.
