(LifeSiteNews) — On December 4, the Parliament of the Faroe Islands, a self-governing archipelago of 18 islands that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, voted to legalize abortion on demand up until 12 weeks by the narrow margin of 17 to 16. Abortion activists were triumphant, as many international organizations had long placed pressure on the Faroe Islands as one of the last European countries to maintain a largely pro-life regime.

The mainstream press, however, neglected to tell the story of how this law was actually passed in the majority Christian and largely conservative country of 55,000 people. The fight to legalize abortion was marked by non-stop backroom maneuvering, sleight of hand, and high political drama, culminating in a fierce, seven-hour parliamentary debate that concluded with the narrowest of defeats for pro-lifers, and a commitment to fight the result.

Björk Sadembou is president of the main pro-life organization in the Faroe Islands, Føroya Pro Vita. He shared the details of what unfolded in an exclusive interview with LifeSiteNews.

READ: Faroe Islands legalizes abortion until 12 weeks, overturning decades-old restrictions

LifeSiteNews: How did abortion activists successfully manage to legalize abortion?

Björk Sadembou: It has been a long project with many different tactics. For years, the work of activists has been mainly focused on changing people’s attitudes to abortion, with campaigns like “I’ve had an abortion” where young Faroese women appeared in videos stating they had an abortion, with some describing the circumstances.

Our last election for Parliament was in December 2022, and many people felt like a politician’s stance on life was essential to casting our vote. But most politicians were hesitant to give their opinion before the election. I know that many pro-life Christians voted for one of the parties (Javnaðarflokkurin), which was deliberately vague on the subject. Javnaðarflokkurin ended up being one of the key parties in legalizing abortion.

The only parties with outspoken pro-abortion members, Framsókn, Tjóðveldi, and Javnaðarflokkurin, ended up in power. Feeling confident, they put forward a proposition to legalize abortion-on-demand up to 12 weeks early in 2024; however, unexpectedly, it was voted down during the first vote

Two pro-life members of Framsókn and two pro-life members of Javnaðarflokkurin voted against the law. Two members of Sambandsflokkurin, an otherwise conservative party, voted for the proposition. The final vote was 15-15, which was not enough for the coalition to get their law through.

Most parties have a policy whereby their politicians can vote according to their conscience in “ethical” matters, such as abortion. However, in early 2025 Framsókn changed their policy, and required their politicians to vote in favour of abortion. One of the pro-life members withdrew from Parliament. This gave the pro-abortion politicians hope, and the same law proposed in 2024 (with very minor changes) was proposed again in autumn of 2025. With one of the pro-life politicians of Framsókn out, they were confident they would succeed this time.

What followed was probably more dramatic than expected. Debates were fierce. Many politicians were upset with the law and didn’t think that any effort had been made to construct a law that most politicians or Faroese people could agree with.

There was much political drama to ramrod the abortion law through. An independent committee tasked with budget cuts removed three ministers from their posts, effective December 1, 2025.

Ministers are taken from Parliament, and the next person in line (on their party list) takes their place in Parliament/votes. One of the ministers who was fired and therefore would take his seat back in Parliament on December 1 was a pro-life member of Javnaðarflokkurin. He had stated clearly that he would not vote in favor of abortion. The people proposing the law tried to get it through to a final vote before December 1 but were not able.

Thus, a pro-abortion minister resigned from her position to take back her parliamentary seat. The person who got pushed out of Parliament was also pro-abortion, and another step was required. The pro-life politician from Javnaðarflokkurin was offered a new spot as minister (with significantly better pay), and so he vacated his parliamentary seat on the same day that the first vote to legalize abortion was held on December 2. A second vote was required, which they held as soon as possible – on December 4.

Despite the fact that the votes were so close together, there were over five hours of deliberation and debate before the final vote.

The debates from the pro-abortion side focused only on the question: “Should the woman or the doctor decide?” They were not willing to address the unborn at all. The current law requires two doctors to sign off that the person wanting an abortion meets the requirements set out by the law. The law is old and vague – this puts doctors in an uncomfortable position. The pro-abortion side argued that since “no-one would choose an abortion unless absolutely necessary,” it is the person who will “bear all the consequences and all responsibility after” who should decide.

One of the arguments they also kept repeating is that young women will leave the country if they don’t have “rights” comparable to neighboring countries.

LSN: What is public opinion on abortion in Faroe Islands?

Sadembou: Public opinion is pretty divided. Most people think that abortion should be available in some circumstances but should not be “readily available” or at least shouldn’t be used for “unnecessary situations.” People in the capital and people who vote “left-wing” tend to be in favor of abortion, while people in Eysturoy and the north and people who vote “right-wing” tend to be against abortion – or in favor of more restrictions. Everyone says that they agree with the following:

• We want as few abortions as possible.
• Abortion should not be an “over the counter” medicine but is a serious procedure.
• Treatment for miscarriage is important.
• Protecting the mother is important.
• The law we had was outdated and not the best.

A significant portion of the population do not think that these things are reflected in the new law. I and others in the pro-life movement think abortion is never necessary or justifiable. When a mother’s life is really at risk, everything possible should be done to save both lives. Saving the mother is a priority in a sense, as the mother is required for the baby to survive early on. Later on, the baby can be delivered rather than aborted. However, many people think exceptions in some cases are a justifiable evil, such as rape or incest, and in cases of exceptionally difficult financial, social, or other circumstances.

Our country still holds a relatively positive view of children. Children are seen mostly as blessings and not as burdens. This automatically makes abortion less justifiable.

LSN: How did the pro-life movement fight back?

Sadembou: We have always tried to show the humanity of the unborn. If what we are aborting is an actual human child, almost no one would think abortion was justifiable. We have participated in debates and public discourse, and we do events such as a march for life to bring attention to the unborn.

Unfortunately, the pro-life movement is currently going through a rough patch. An ambitious project to help all mothers considering abortions was launched a few years ago. It was launched prematurely and ultimately several people ended up totally burned out and left the work. I took over in February and am trying to rebuild the important work focused on making sure that no mother chooses an abortion due to lack of support/finances.

LSN: Will there be an attempt to reverse this decision?

Sadembou: I think it is likely, and I really hope so. Many politicians and many Faroese people are extremely unhappy with the law. I know that I will vote for someone who says they will work to reverse the decision or to implement a new, stricter law. An election is expected next year, and I hope people remember this when casting their votes!

The law is set to come into effect on July 1, 2026. Some people think an election will happen before then. In that case, assuming a pro-life coalition wins, I do think a reversal would be attempted immediately.

LSN: What should pro-lifers know about what is going on in the Faroe Islands?

Sadembou: The fight is not over. Many of us are determined to show that women’s rights do not equal abortion, and that there are many better options for women and their children. There is a large amount of people who do not want to accept the current situation, and who will fight back in any way they can.

While the law was a very negative outcome, I was very pleasantly surprised by the many brave and well thought-through pro-life voices in the debates; both among politicians and regular people alike!