Professor Sjef Gevers:

To my knowledge, we do not come across this. I can see how it may be an issue. We do not have special rules for this. In our legislation in general, a request for abortion is looked upon as a highly personal decision. The main issue would be whether the woman or girl in question would be competent. If she is, and she is 12 years old or more, she is entitled to make a request. If she has a guardian who does not agree, it depends very much on the circumstances. If she insists on that request and the health professional feels that he can go along with her request, she will have this abortion. It is the same provision as the one for minors for whom parental consent is not needed in special circumstances.