1998 Portuguese abortion referendum

Last updated
1998 Portuguese abortion referendum
Flag of Portugal.svg
28 June 1998

Do you agree with the decriminalization of the voluntary interruption of the pregnancy, if it takes place in the first 10 weeks and in an authorized healthcare institution?
Results
Choice
Votes %
Check-71-128-204-brightblue.svg Yes1,308,13049.09%
Light brown x.svg No1,356,75450.91%
Valid votes2,664,88498.35%
Invalid or blank votes44,6191.65%
Total votes2,709,503100.00%
Registered voters/turnout8,496,08931.89%

1998 Portuguse Abortion Referendum results.svg
District Results

On 28 June 1998 a referendum on a new abortion law was conducted in Portugal; it was the second national referendum in the Portuguese history and the first after the 1974 Carnation Revolution. The law was proposed by the Portuguese Communist Party and it decriminalized abortion during the first ten weeks of pregnancy and was considered by the left as the only way to put an end to the estimated 20 to 50 thousand illegal abortions in the country. The law was approved in the Assembly of the Republic through a majority of the center-left and left-wing parties, but an agreement between the Socialist Party and the Social Democratic Party parties leaders led to the referendum. [1]

Contents

The referendum was held on a summer day, which is said to have contributed to the fact that the turnout was so low that it did not pass the threshold of 50 percent of the voters needed to make the decision binding, although the winning answer, NO, was respected and the law was not changed, meaning abortion was only allowed in exceptional case (such as rape, mal-formations of the fetus and danger to the women's health). In the following years, a few dozen women (a small minority of the estimated illegal abortions) were defendants in three trials for abortion.

A revote occurred in the 2007 Portuguese abortion referendum, where the result was reversed.

The question present in the ballots was: "Do you agree with the decriminalization of the voluntary interruption of the pregnancy, if it takes place in the first 10 weeks and in an authorized healthcare institution?"

Political positions

The major parties in Portugal at the time listed with their political positioning and their official answer to the referendum question:

Opinion polling

All polls published showed an advantage for the YES side, but official results showed a 51% to 49% win for the NO side. Late deciders and a low turnout may explain this result. Note, until 2000, the publication of opinion polls in the last week of the campaign was forbidden.

  Exit poll

Last day pollingPoll sourceSample sizeDirect Intention of VoteValid Vote
YesNoUndecidedLeadYesNoLead
28 JunReferendum results31.9%49.150.91.8
28 Jun Universidade Católica 47.0–53.046.0–52.01.0
19 Jun Universidade Católica 3,12353.246.86.4
17 Jun Metris 1,00644.441.613.42.852.048.02.0
14 Jun Moderna 1,44154.435.510.118.961.039.022.0
9 Jun SIC/Visão 84358.140.01.918.159.041.018.0
27 May Euroexpansão 64481.013.06.068.086.014.072.0
24 May Moderna 1,43455.633.111.422.563.037.026.0
21 May SIC/Visão 2,00760.936.72.524.262.038.024.0
20 May Metris 1,00846.943.99.13.052.048.04.0
5 May Universidade Católica 1,29360.930.38.830.667.033.034.0
1 May SIC/Visão 70963.135.31.627.864.036.028.0
8 Apr Metris 1,99848.741.39.97.454.046.08.0
1998

Results

Most voted answer per district (Azores and Madeira not shown). Pt abortion 1998.PNG
Most voted answer per district (Azores and Madeira not shown).
Portuguese abortion referendum, 1998
ChoiceVotes %
Light brown x.svg No1,356,75450.91
Yes1,308,13049.09
Valid votes2,664,88498.35
Invalid or blank votes44,6191.65
Total votes2,709,503100.00
Registered voters/turnout8,496,08931.89
Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições
Referendum results (excluding invalid votes)
Yes
1,308,130 (49.1%)
No
1,356,754 (50.9%)

50%

Results by district

DistrictYesNoTurnout
Votes %Votes %
  Aveiro 53,65732.27%112,62167.73%30.63%
  Azores 8,42217.20%40,54582.80%27.21%
  Beja 25,47778.17%7,11421.83%22.96%
  Braga 55,77022.73%189,55577.27%39.55%
  Bragança 10,89926.25%30,62173.75%28.58%
  Castelo Branco 25,34147.22%28,33052.78%28.78%
  Coimbra 52,48752.94%46,64947.06%27.33%
  Évora 28,13772.98%10,41727.02%21.62%
  Faro 46,51969.59%20,33130.41%22.38%
  Guarda 15,83629.89%37,14570.11%31.99%
  Leiria 50,93948.26%54,61251.74%29.40%
  Lisbon 416,28568.51%191,34231.49%34.36%
  Madeira 15,68123.97%49,73376.03%32.76%
  Portalegre 17,87967.78%8,53732.32%24.14%
  Porto 192,10042.38%261,21157.62%33.39%
  Santarém 63,27356.57%48,58143.43%29.83%
  Setúbal 169,74281.89%37,53418.11%33.37%
  Viana do Castelo 19,36526.21%54,50673.79%34.09%
  Vila Real 15,90726.97%50,45376.03%31.28%
  Viseu 24,89124.22%77,86175.78%30.37%
Source: Direcção Geral da Administração Interna

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References

General

Specific

  1. Manuel, Paul Christopher; Tollefsen, Maurya N. (2008). "Roman Catholicism, Secularization and the Recovery of Traditional Communal Values: The 1998 and 2007 Referenda on Abortion in Portugal". South European Society and Politics. 13 (1): 117–129. doi:10.1080/13608740802005868. S2CID   142531080.

See also