The road to legal abortion – an exposé on the fight for the right to choose

In 2025, Sweden’s Abortion Act marks its 50th anniversary. For just as long, it has been subject to debate. Today, opposition to abortion is growing in parts of the Western world. According to Swedish law, a woman has the right to decide on an abortion up to the eighteenth week of pregnancy. The law has also enabled research aimed at making abortions safer, more accessible, and more socially accepted.

Medical abortion was developed at the WHO Collaborating Centre for Research in Human Reproduction, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital. In a medical abortion, two different medications are used, one of which is a synthetic prostaglandin. In 1982, Sune Bergström and Bengt Samuelsson, both from Karolinska Institutet, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries related to prostaglandins. Medical abortion has been especially important in low-resource countries, where abortion is often difficult to access and carries significant risks. Unsafe abortions remain one of the leading causes of maternal mortality.

The exhibition The Road to Legal Abortion presents 50 stories from the book Abort 50 år by Malin Clausson and Sandra Pedevski. It highlights political reforms, decisions, and personal narratives that led to the Abortion Act of 1975. Meet some of the individuals who have undergone abortions and gain insight into the decisions and emotions that shape people’s lives.

Participants

Kristina Gemzell Danielsson, Professor at Karolinska Institutet, Senior Physician at Karolinska University Hospital, and Member of the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet

Malin Clausson, Journalist and author, Faktum Magazine

Sandra Pandevski, Journalist and author, Faktum Magazine

Moderator: Annette Aronsson, Researcher at Karolinska Institutet and Senior Physician at Karolinska University Hospital

The event is organised in collaboration with RFSU and the Kvinnohistoriska.