The fight for women’s rights is truly an international one, and in some regions, we’ve been faring very well. Although abortion rights for women has been a difficult world to navigate here in the United States, progressive governments across Europe have acknowledged the right of women to decide what happens to their child and body.
Typically, we see that, although the political dialogue in most countries is steeped in bipartisan rhetoric, a fair amount of the populace is in favor of keeping abortion legal within their countries. That makes recent reports of a conservative backlash against women’s rights in one European country all the more troubling.
Spain may not be the superpower it was during the days of the Renaissance, but its cultural influence can be felt all over the world. Recently, that country’s government has been busy penning what would become one of Europe’s strictest anti-abortion bans, according to this piece published by NPR.
If this legislation were to pass, Spanish women would only be able to procure an abortion in very limited circumstances that involve grave risk to the mother’s health or in the case of rape. No longer would a large risk of serious birth defects be available as a grounds to terminate a pregnancy. As the above article indicates, this push seems to be a reaction to an incredible liberalization of Spain that occurred during the 1980s after the dictator Francisco Franco died.
Most of Spain’s population does not want to see their women have to travel to faraway lands to obtain the medical attention they require. Public polls report that about 80 percent of the Spanish general population wants abortions to remain legal within the country. Some accuse the government of pandering too much to the Catholic Church, which has strong ties to the region.
South Avenue Womens Services knows that the fight for women’s natural rights is still going on all over the world. When you need a conscientious and professional service to discuss your options, contact us at your earliest convenience. We’ll explain what you need to know to make the decision that’s best for you.