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Thousands Protest Spain’s Plan to Restrict Abortion

Thousands of people marched to Spain’s parliament in Madrid on Saturday to protest a potential new law that would severely restrict women’s right to have an abortion.

The law, which was passed by Spain’s cabinet in December 2013, would allow abortion only in cases of rape or if the physical or psychological health of the mother is threatened, effectively banning it in all other circumstances. It would toughen conditions for aborting a deformed fetus, and it would require girls under 18 to obtain parental consent to have the procedure.

“I would never have imagined we would find ourselves back here, fighting for something we thought we had won,” protestor Maria Pilar Sanchez told Agence France-Presse.

The previous Socialist government legalized abortion before 14 weeks in 2010, but the current ruling party, the Popular Party, often sides with the Roman Catholic Church’s conservative views on abortion. The law awaits approval by Parliament, where the Popular Party holds a majority.

Protests were also held in London and cities across France.

Sources:

Agence France-Presse 2/2/14; The Washington Post 2/1/14; The Guardian 2/1/14

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