Parental Notification Requirement Added To Spanish Abortion-Rights Bill

Main Category: Abortion
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health;  Women's Health / Gynecology;  Pregnancy / Obstetrics
Article Date: 15 Dec 2009 - 2:00 PDT

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The Spanish government has agreed to alter a proposed law that would have allowed young women ages 16 and 17 to receive an abortion without parental notification, the AP/Washington Post reports. The changes would alter the proposed law to require teenagers to inform at least one parent before undergoing the procedure. With the changes in place, the opposition Basque Nationalist Party said that it would support the legislation and that the votes of six Basque deputies would secure passage of the legislation in parliament, according to the AP/Post.

The bill would expand abortion rights in Spain by allowing unrestricted access for women up to 14 weeks' gestation. It also would allow teenagers to bypass the parental notification if they can demonstrate that informing a parent or legal guardian would cause "serious problems," the AP/Post reports. Carmen Monton -- a spokesperson on women's issues for the Socialist Party, which supports the legislation -- said, "The important thing is that the consent comes from women, regardless of age. The parents will be informed and there will be exceptions." She added, "I think it's a good agreement."

Current law allows abortion in cases of rape, fetal malformation or if a physician states that a pregnancy would endanger the woman's physical or mental health. Spain currently allows prosecution of women who have abortions for reasons outside of those limits, though few prosecutions are pursued, according to the AP/Post (Giles, AP/Washington Post, 12/10).

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