Portugal's Socialist Party (PS), which has an absolute majority in the country's legislature, announced Wednesday that it would seek parliament's approval in September for a law to legalize abortion.

The bill will be presented to parliament before the PS's planned 2006 referendum on the matter, media reports said.

The PS has already promised to initiate a referendum on legalizing abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

The PS will present the legislation before Sept.15, nearly a year after their first bid to get the bill through was rejected by judges.

Portugal's Community Party has told the media that no referendum was needed before parties addressed the bill, saying that the parliament was more than capable of deciding on the matter.

Portugal's Movement for Legalizing the Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy has collected 15,000 signatures in favor of the legalization.

The organization said it began collecting signatures in February and would not stop until September, when the country's parliament returns to work.

Portugal held a referendum on abortion in 1998, which resulted in a victory for the "no" camp.

Currently, abortion is illegal in Portugal except in cases of rape or when a pregnant woman's life is in danger.

Source: Xinhua