Spain's
conservative government has abandoned plans for more restrictive laws on
abortion. The proposal's champion, Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon, has
resigned in protest.
On Tuesday,
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said that his government would scrap plans to
restrict abortions, following months of protests from women's groups and the
opposition. He said that the government was not able to reach a consensus on
the issue.
"A
withdrawal is the most sensible solution," Rajoy said. "We do not
want to pass a law that will only be changed again after a government
transition."
Ruiz-Gallardon (right) quit the government of Rajoy (left) in protest |
Justice
Minister Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon, who had spearheaded the proposal, resigned
from Rajoy's conservative Popular Party (PP) as a result, saying he was
quitting politics after 30 years.
Spain, like
the majority of countries in Europe, currently allows abortions without
restrictions within the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. The bill proposed making
abortion permissible only in the case of rape or if a serious health risk to
the mother was apparent. The contentious plan had prompted rallies both opposing and supporting the idea in the predominantly Catholic country.
Opposition parties welcomed Tuesday's decision to drop the bill.
"We
are celebrating this withdrawal," Carmen Monton of the opposition
Socialists said. "It was about time Rajoy realized he cannot meddle with
women's freedom."
Friction
even within ruling PP
The prime
minister said his government would instead seek to modify Spain's existing
laws, passed by the previous Socialist government in 2010, so that young women
aged 16 and 17 could not terminate a pregnancy without their parents' consent.
Women's rights group 'Femen' protested in Spain's parliament over the issue |
Abortion
was first decriminalized in Spain in 1985 for cases of malformed fetuses, rape
or potential physical or psychological damage for the mother. The 2010 reforms
allowed abortions in all cases within 14 weeks of conception, and after up to
22 weeks in cases of severe abnormalities, putting Spain broadly into line with
European norms.
msh/mkg (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)
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