A NEW Bill that dramatically eases abortion laws, allowing termination on demand up to 14 weeks, and ending the requirement of parental consent for 16-year-olds, has provoked controversy in Spain.
There were protests and demonstrations in Spain when abortion was legalised 1985. Since then, the number of women terminating their pregnancies has risen from 53,000 in the first year to more than 112,000 in 2007.
The 1985 law was brought in by the Socialist government of Felipe González only 10 years after the end of the Franco dictatorship. It was a dramatic step in those days, but many believe it is too restrictive. Now another Socialist prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has taken the first steps towards easing that restriction.
At present, doctors can perform abortions up to 12 weeks if the pregnancy is the result of rape, or later in the pregnancy if the foetus is deformed or if two doctors certify the physical or mental health of the mother is at grave risk.
In theory, legal abortions can be performed in social security clinics, but many complain that waiting lists are too long or doctors refuse on grounds of conscience.
Last week, minister for equalities Bibiana Aido presented a draft Bill which would make it easier to terminate a pregnancy. She has proposed abortion on demand up to 14 weeks, and then up to 22 weeks if the foetus is deformed or if the physical or mental health of the mother is at risk. But probably the most controversial clause is to permit girls over 16 to abort without parental permission.
“If a girl can marry and have children at 16, then it is logical that she should be the one to decide whether or not to terminate her pregnancy,” said Ms Aido.
Opposition to this clause is emerging from the Catholic Church and right-wing opposition. The conservative Popular Party spokeswoman, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, described the proposal as “unacceptable” and used her own logic in her argument. “If an adolescent cannot vote at 16, it is not logical that they can terminate a pregnancy,” she said in a radio interview recently.
The Bill will come before the Congress within the next few months and, although it is likely to receive eventual approval, its passage will not be smooth.