PORTUGAL: Portugal has banned a Dutch boat with an abortion clinic on board from entering its territorial waters, but activists said the bar was illegal and they still hoped to find a way to carry out abortions.
The floating clinic offers an abortion pill in international waters to women in countries where it is illegal or more restricted than the Netherlands.
It planned to allow women to board in a Portuguese port before sailing back out to international waters, where it would operate under Dutch law, to carry out the abortions.
Abortion is only legal in mainly Roman Catholic Portugal when the mother's life is in danger and a few other specific circumstances.
"It's a question of legality and morality," Secretary of State for Sea Affairs, Mr Nuno Fernandes Thomaz, told Portuguese news agency Lusa.
"Using the abortion pill is prohibited in Portugal. If they plan to administer it, that means they will bring it (on board)," Mr Thomaz said. "For this reason (the boat) should stay in international waters."
However, groups coordinating the visit said the country had no right to refuse docking to any vessel from a European Union country which had its papers in order.
The boat, belonging to the Women on Waves organisation, had planned to dock on Saturday at Figuera da Foz, about 200 km north of Lisbon but would now remain in international waters near Spain and Portugal. Women on Waves sailed a ship to Dublin and Cork in June 2001. Over 300 women in Ireland contacted the organisation during the ship's visit.
Activists say they would not be breaking the law as they only use the pill outside Portuguese territorial waters, and illegal abortions posed more of a threat to women's health.
"There has never been a negative impact from an on-board abortion, said sociologist Ms Cristina Santos, spokeswoman for one of four Portuguese organisations working with Women on Waves.
Ms Santos said there clearly was demand for the abortions as women had started calling a hotline number publicised during a news conference as soon as it was broadcast.