Victory for Women in Spain after Battle over New Abortion Law

Marysa Navarro-Aranguren, Chair of the Board of Catholics for Choice,
welcomed the victory today for women in Spain, after the senate voted
to ease the country’s restrictions on abortion. In doing so, they
rejected the opposition of the Catholic bishops and the Vatican over
access to safe and legal abortion in that country.

Navarro, who is from the Basque country, said, “The Spanish government
has done the right thing in liberalizing the abortion law. There is
widespread support in the country for reform. Despite the best efforts
of the Catholic bishops to argue otherwise, Catholic politicians know
that you can support access to abortion and continue to be a good
Catholic.”

The new law, which will come into affect in June, recognizes a woman’s
right to an abortion, legalizes the procedure up to 14 weeks gestation
and allows 16- and 17-year-olds to have abortions without parental
consent. They must inform their parents of their intentions. The law
will come into affect in June.

Navarro continued, “This is another example of politicians in a
heavily Catholic country telling the church hierarchy that they cannot
control public policy and legislators’ votes through threats. We have
seen legislators in Portugal, Ireland, Colombia and Mexico City ignore
intimidation from their bishops and do what is best for their
constituents. The more often this happens, the likelier it is to
happen again and again. Women and their families around the world are
the beneficiaries when politicians do the right thing, which is not
always what their bishops want them to do.”

A recent poll by Catholics for Choice shows that the Spanish public,
which is at least three-quarters Catholic, largely rejects the
position of the Catholic bishops on abortion. Two-thirds of Spaniards
(68%) disagree with the bishops’ opposition to abortion, while fewer
than two in ten (19%) say they stand on the side of the bishops.

There is strong, widespread support in Spain for abortion to be legal
in a range of diverse circumstances women may face. Over eight in ten
Spaniards believe abortion should be legal when a pregnancy poses a
serious threat to a woman’s life (87%), when it poses a serious threat
to a woman’s physical or mental health (86%), or is the result of rape
or incest (82%). Another 79% believe abortion should be legal if test
results show fetal malformation.

Beyond extenuating circumstances, a large majority of Spaniards
support a basic right to abortion. Fully six in ten (62%) say that
abortion generally should be legal during the first trimester of
pregnancy, leaving the decision up to women and their doctors.

David J Nolan

Director of Communications

Catholics for Choice

1436 U Street NW, Suite 301

Washington DC 20009

T: +1 (202) 986-6093

F: +1 (202) 332-7995