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Portugal
Overview
In 2007, Portugal liberalized their abortion laws. An abortion can be performed on-demand if a woman’s pregnancy has not exceeded its tenth week, with a 3-day waiting period for all abortions. Portugal has a very strong Catholic presence and, despite abortion being legal, many doctors refuse to perform them. Later stage abortions are also legal for specific reasons, including risk to a woman’s health and rape, but an abortion beyond 24 weeks is illegal. 2010 statistics suggest that the abortion rate is 9.0 abortions per 100 women aged 15-44 years old.
Portugal remains fairly conservative in regards to regulations for assisted reproduction technologies. Portugal’s children to woman ratio is well below the population replacement rate of 2.1. 2008 data shows the rate is 1.49 children per woman. However, the number of children born through ART is very low. Surrogacy agreements are not used, and sperm and egg donations are not prohibited but used. Same-sex couples and single women do not have access to ART.
Passive and active euthanasia are illegal in Portugal. However, in March 2015, the chairman of the Portuguese bioethics association said that it is legal for terminal patients to be put into a deep, continued sedation, as the law passed in France in March 2015 entails. Since 2000, Portuguese doctors have been publicizing saying that they are open to euthanasia.
Research on stem cells in Portugal is limited to the use of frozen or surplus embryos, making it a crime for anyone to create embryos for the purpose of research. Licensure and approval for research is provided by the Portuguese National Council for Medically Assisted Procreation.
FURTHER READINGS:
http://www.wbez.org/episode-segments/2011-08-10/here-there-portugal-abortion-legal-many-doctors-refuse-perform-them-9005
http://www.theportugalnews.com/news/deep-sleep-not-euthanasia-is-allowed/34376
http://www.eurostemcell.org/regulations/regulation-stem-cell-research-portugal
Abortion
83 pts out of 100 / 100,00% complete
Abortion and contraception allow women to express their freedom of reproduction by exercising their right of self-determination over their bodies.
Measurement questions
Is abortion lawful to protect woman's life?
Yes
Is abortion lawful to protect woman's physical health?
Yes
Is abortion lawful to protect woman's mental health?
Yes
Is abortion lawful in the event the woman was raped?
Legal during 1st trimester only
Is abortion lawful in the event of fetal defects?
Legal during 1st trimester only
Does the law mandate that an abortion is performed at the mere request of a pregnant woman?
Legal during 1st trimester only
Is RU-486 (Mifepristone) approved or registered for use?
Yes and it is available with prescription
Are emergency contraception drugs lawfully available?
Yes, over the counter
Are family planning services provided through government-run programs and facilities?
Yes, directly
Is spousal notification/permission required?
No
Assisted Reproduction
57 pts out of 100 / 100,00% complete
Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) are the methods used to achieve pregnancy by artificial or partially artificial means. Access to assisted reproduction concerns our ability to expand our right to health by offering us access to treatment to overcome infertility.
Measurement questions
Is preimplantation genetic diagnosis permissible?
Yes with no restrictions
Is oocyte cryopreservation permissible?
Not prohibited but used
Is embryo cryopreservation permissible for reproductive purposes?
Yes
Is sperm donation permissible?
Not prohibited but used
Is oocyte donation permissible?
Not prohibited but used
Are IVF surrogacy agreements enforceable?
Not used
Marital status requirements?
Stable relationship at minimum
Do same-sex couples have access to ART?
No
Do single women have access to ART?
No
Are there any limits on the number of pre-embryos that can be transferred?
No
End of life
33 pts out of 100 / 100,00% complete
End of life decisions concern our ability to make choices concerning the end of our lives and take of the form of refusal of life sustaining treatment, being help in committing suicide, choosing euthanasia, and make choices that must be upheld even when the person becomes unconscious. As Young (2010) noted, "People have an interest in making important decisions about their lives in accordance with their own conception of how they want their lives to go."
Measurement questions
Is passive euthanasia lawful?
Legally prohibited
Is active euthanasia lawful?
Legally prohibited
Is physician-assisted suicide lawful?
Unclear because of conflicting/insufficient authority
Are advance directives (AD) enforceable?
No
Is a physician required to respect a patient's refusal of life-sustaining treatment?
Yes
Research with embryos
0 pts out of 100 / 0,00% complete
Research with embryos and pre-embryos as well as therapeutic cloning concerns scientists’ freedom to investigate human biology as well as patients’ freedom to access regenerative medicine treatments that may be developed as a result of research with human embryonic stem cells. Since the early 2000s, research with embryos has been at the center of an often-polarized debate about the nature and scope of scientific freedom.
Measurement questions
Is basic research using germline modification in human embryos/gametes permitted?
Is pre-clinical research using germline modification technologies in animals permitted?
Is clinical research using germline modification technologies in humans permitted?
Are clinical applications of research using germline modification technologies (i.e., to initiate a pregnancy with edited embryos or with edited gametes) permitted?
GM Crops
70 pts out of 100 / 100,00% complete
GM crops have contributed significantly to modern agriculture. Plant breeding using genetic modification techniques has led to improving crops in more targeted ways than classical breeding techniques. GM crops acquire desirable characteristics, including pest and herbicide resistance, enhanced robustness against diseases, drought or water tolerance, and healthier profiles that can enhance nutrition.
Measurement questions
Is research on GMOs permitted in the laboratories?
Yes
Is notification to start research on GMOs in laboratories required?
Yes
Is research on GMOs frequent?
Yes
Are GM crop field trials (the limited release into the environment for research purposes) permitted?
Yes
Is authorization to start a GM crop field trial required?
Yes/prohibited
Are GM crop field trials frequent?
No/prohibited
Is cultivation of GM crops (for commercial purposes) in open field permitted?
Yes
Is authorization to start open field cultivation of GM crops required?
Yes/prohibited
Is open field cultivation of GM crops frequent?
No/prohibited
Can GM crop commodities harvested in other countries be imported?
Yes
Is authorization to import GM crop commodities required?
Yes/prohibited
Is the import of GM crop commoties frequent?
Yes
Right To Science Indicators
Measurement questions
- Access to benefits
What is the total general government expenditure on education?
What is the expenditure on tertiary as % of government expenditure on education?
17.83
What is the the percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed a doctoral degree or equivalent?
0.49
What is the percentage of population that uses the Internet?
70.42
What is the quality of math and science education on a scale from 1 to 7 being "excellent"?
4.8
To what extent is the Internet used in schools for learning purposes?
5.1
What is the scientific literacy of 15-year-old students as measured by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)(mean score)?
501
- Opportunities to participate
Does the law mandate nondiscrimination based on gender in hiring?
Yes
What is the percentage of females employed with advanced degrees out of total employed?
45.1
- Enabling environment
How many scientific and technical journal articles are published each year in physics, biology, chemistry, mathematics, clinical medicine, biomedical research, engineering and technology, and earth and space sciences?
13773.2
What is the percentage of GDP allocated to Research and Development?
1.28
How may published articles have received at least H citations in the period 1996–2014?
28.5
What is the quality of scientific research institutions?
5.2
To what extent do business and universities collaborate on research and development (R&D)?
4.2
What is the average university ranking score of countries based on their top 3 universities?
34
To what extent are scientists and engineers available?
4.7
How many professionals are employed as researchers?
8.8
How many professionals are employed by government as researchers?
3.2
- International cooperation
To what extent are talented people attracted from abroad?
3.4
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