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1.1.meEuropeanConventiononHumanRights…
31
CommissiontookduenoteofthefactthatatthetimewhenmeConven-
tionwasactuallysigned,almostalloftheHighContractingPartieswere
grantingpregnantwomentherighttoabortionsincasesinwhichthe
pregnancyposedathreattotheirlives,anditisatthisverypointintime
thatnationalabortionlawsbegantheirprocessofliberalization.
meonlydefactoconclusionthatmaybedrawnfromthiscaseisour
havingtoacknowledgethefactthattheunborn,asseenbytheECHR,is
notentitledtotheabsoluteprotectionoftherighttolife.Twopossibili-
tiesinthisregardstill,however,remain:thatistosayarecognitionofthe
factthatArt2.refersinnowaytothefoetus,orthatitgrantsittheright
tolifebutwithcertainlimitations,andtheseeventualitieshavenotyet
beenfullyexploredbytheCommission.meCommissiondid,however,
taketheviewthatbeinginextricablylinked,asitis,tothespecificset
ofcircumstancesofthisparticularcase–anabortionwascarriedoutin
thetenthweekofpregnancytoavoidanypotentialdetrimentalelectsto
thephysicalandmentalhealthofthepregnantwomenhereinquestion;
andinthisinstance,atleast,meCommissionfounditwasnotbound
totheregulationapropostheexactextenttowhichtheindividual’sright
tolifemaycarryintovariousotherstagesofdevelopment,especially
latterstagesofpregnancy.Anydoubtswhichwerenowlefttobeputto
restthereforeconcernedonlytheinitialperiodsofpregnancy,andthis,
onlyinsituationsinwhichthepregnantmother’shealth,perhapseven
life,wasindanger.mesolutiontotheproblem,inmeCommission’s
opinion,didnotrequireanyofthedivergingunderstandingsofArt.2
toberesolved,sinceevenifoneassumesthatsaidarticleisapplicableto
theinitialphasesofpregnancy,itsonlypurposeinproceedingswouldbe
thesupposedlimitationswithregardtothefoetus,andthisbecausethe
protectionofthepregnantwoman’slifeandhealthareanecessity.
Tosumup,intheW.P
.vGreatBritaincase,theCommission–in-
terpretingArt.2,Para.1–ruledthatthepresenceinitscontentofthe
termKeveryone”,didnotincludetheunborn;alsoKifoneassumesthat
thisprovisionappliesattheinitialstageofthepregnancy,theabortion
iscoveredbyanimpliedlimitation,protectingthelifeandhealthofthe
womanatthatstage,oftheKrighttolife’ofthefoetus”.
