Swiss court decides fathers have no role in abortion

This week, Switzerland's federal court dismissed a man's case against his former girlfriend, who had suffered an abortion in the late phase, the SRF reported.

Abortions are legal in Switzerland if they are performed in the first twelve weeks of pregnancy. If a woman has an abortion later, unless she is in danger of health, she is sentenced to prison for up to three years, broadcasting albinfo.ch.

This case included a man in the Freeburg canton, who informed authorities that his former girlfriend had suffered a delayed abortion. He then followed the matter through the Swiss judicial system by arguing that as the father of the abortion fetus, he was a victim by law.

However, Switzerland's highest court rejected the husband's argument. He reasoned that abortion laws are intended to protect the unborn child, not the father.

The court also argued that because the fetus has no legal personality, the father cannot be considered relative to the victim, broadcasts albinfo.ch.

A law professor at Basel University told the SRF that a child's father is in a poor position. Mother has the only responsibility to decide.

Markus Theunert, who heads the Swiss Institute for Men's and Gender Affairs, an organisation focused on eliminating discrimination against fathers after the division, hailed the court's decision, describing it as right. There is no other conclusion, according to Theunert. Giving the word of fathers in such matters would allow them to decide for the body integrity of women, something unacceptable, according to him.