Centre Party Wants 'Legal Men' Written Into Sweden's Abortion Law

SWEDEN - The government wants to keep the word "woman" in Sweden's abortion law. For the Centre Party, that is not good enough.

In a motion to parliament, two Centre Party MPs demand that the law state explicitly that it covers anyone who is pregnant, regardless of legal gender. That includes people who are legally men.

The motion was filed on 5 October by Christofer Bergenblock and Helena Vilhelmsson, who argue that the government's plan to modernise the abortion law does not go far enough.

The current law already covers everyone who can become pregnant, whatever their legal gender. The dispute is about whether that has to be written out in the text.

"The Centre Party therefore believes that the abortion law should be clarified so that women's particular rights and experiences are made visible, while it is also explicitly stated that the law covers anyone who is pregnant, regardless of legal gender," the two MPs write.

They say the change would create "a clear and inclusive law".

No new rights - just new wording

The proposal would not give any new group the right to an abortion. The government has already made clear that trans men who can become pregnant are covered. The only difference is how the law is worded.

The motion goes further on one more point. The Centre Party wants it spelled out that the right to abortion applies to everyone in Sweden, including asylum seekers and people living in the country illegally.

The government has already concluded that today's law places no restrictions on those groups. The Centre Party says it should be made explicit anyway.

The two MPs also warn that a planned constitutional amendment on abortion rights could open the door to exceptions for foreign-born women. The motion is now with parliament's Committee on Health and Welfare, and a vote in the chamber is expected on 25 November.

A party leaning hard into LGBTQ politics

The proposal fits the Centre Party's increasingly sharp profile on LGBTQ issues. The party has pushed for a more liberal gender-recognition law, for the option of a third legal gender and for expanded rights for so-called rainbow families.

In a survey by the LGBTQ lobby group RFSL ahead of the 2026 election, Centre Party candidates were among those most likely to back the organisation's political demands, together with candidates from the Greens and the Left Party.