The Civil Code of 1734 formally introduced the death penalty for abortion, but there is no confirmed case in which this sentence was actually carried out: the attention was focused on infanticide rather than abortion, and the court cases were few. The reformed law of 1864 abolished the death penalty for abortion and replaced it with between two and six years of penal labour for both the patient who received the abortion, as well as for the abortion provider. During the second half of the 19th century, abortion court cases became more common and the issue became a part of public debate. A reform in 1921 replaced the penal labour with a shorter prison term without penal labour for the patient, but kept the original penalty for the abortion service provider. Between 1929 and 1933, around 21 patients annually were sentenced for abortion, and the vast majority was given suspended sentences. The first law on legal abortions was passed in Sweden in 1938 when the law legalized abortion on a very limited scale, and only on serious medical consideration, after evaluation by the Royal Board of Health. From 1946 abortions could also be permitted on social medicinal grounds. During the 1960s, a successive change in Swedish society took place, and the general attitude towards sexuality, as well as abortion, became more liberal. This, among other things, led to an increase in the number of permitted abortions. The current Abortion Act (SFS 1974:595 with later amendments in 1995 and 2007) entered into force on 1 January 1975. It permits abortion on the request of the pregnant woman until the 18th week, and thereafter only in cases of severe indications of medical risk. After the 18th week, abortions can only be performed after an evaluation by the National Board of Health and Welfare. In 1989, the Board issued general advice on implementation of the law (SOSFS 1989:6). From 1 September 2004, these were superseded by new advice and policy (SOSFS 2004:4). Since 1 January 2008, foreign patients – including asylum applicants, non-permanent residents, and those not registered in Sweden – are allowed to get an abortion in the country. During 2009, 132 such abortions were performed in Sweden. The National Board of Health and Welfare called this a comparably small figure, in relation to the total number of abortions. Statistics The National Board of Health and Welfare is the central national authority