Midwife Ellinor Grimmark refuses to perform abortions because of her religion. On Wednesday, she was denied the last Swedish legal body, the Labor Court, after claiming that she was discriminated against when she was denied a job as a midwife.

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No need to perform abortions

Magdalena Värnesbranden works at one of Norway's largest hospitals, in Sarpsborg, not far from the border with Bohuslän. She is one of the Norwegian gynecologists who applies the so-called "reservation right". This means that doctors and midwives can avoid having an abortion procedure if it is against their conscience.

In Sweden, such a conscience clause has been debated, but never introduced.

- When I started at the women's clinic at Östfold Hospital, I was clear that I wanted to make a reservation. It went "okay", I only got respect from my colleagues and have never had to defend myself, says Magdalena Värnesbranden, who today is a doctor.

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Liberal attitude

Sweden and Norway introduced free abortion every few years and the countries are similar in many areas. But when it comes to abortions, there is another difference beyond the conscience clause - the number of abortions. In Sweden, almost twice as many abortions per 1,000 women are aged 15-49, according to the National Institute of Public Health and the National Board of Health and Welfare.

It is not easy to explain what the differences are due to, but many say, like Magdalena Värnesbranden, that Sweden has always had a more liberal attitude and is a more secularized country. Sweden also has the Nordic's most liberal abortion law.

But representatives of Sex og Politikk (Norway's equivalent of RFSU) say that the "reservation right" is no problem for the possibility of having an abortion. In theory everyone could reserve and then there would be problems.

- But in practice, so few people make it so that the problems do not arise, says Charlotte Andersen at Sex og Politikk.

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"Greater tolerance"

As in Sweden, everyone in Norway is entitled to an abortion and the “right of reservation” does not limit that possibility.

- I like to use a spiral to avoid an abortion, says Magdalena Värnesbranden, and says that her right makes the climate more permissive, there is a tolerance for several perceptions, and there are women who may need to talk to those who have different opinions.

- We have to complement each other, she says, and maybe find alternatives.

- No one thinks an abortion is an easy thing: neither the woman who does the abortion nor the medical staff who performs it. But we have an obligation to do our duty to the patient and I realize that we cannot be too many who invoke a conscience clause.

She also believes that she fully respects both the law and others' right to an opinion, but also demands to be respected for her views. And should the "reservation right" disappear, she would not hesitate:

- Then I would have quit this job and done something else.

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No change in Sweden

At the Swedish Children's Association you do not see the Norwegian model as an alternative. Even though abortion care itself works, one is worried about the treatment women can get.

"A woman applying for abortion care should never have to hear from any midwife that she can't help her because of her faith," says Mia Ahlberg, chair of the Swedish Midwifery Association.

The Norwegian model is frequently used as an argument by the two midwives in Sweden who do not want to perform abortions because of their faith. Another argument is that the lack of midwife in Sweden would reduce if freedom of conscience was allowed, something Mia Ahlberg firmly dismisses.

- Just because we introduced freedom of conscience would not solve the lack of midwifery in Sweden. The midwives who now run these issues do not do it in order to get a job as a midwife. If they had wanted to work as midwives in Sweden, they would be able to work in a place where abortions are not performed. This is done to run a campaign against abortion, because they feel that women should not have the right to have an abortion.

SVT's correspondents reflect the issue of abortion in Poland, Norway and the United States. The program is available here.