Imogen CalderwoodCONTROVERSIAL abortion plans to drastically limit access to abortion in Spain could be abandoned by the government.
The plans – introduced by Mariano Rajoy’s ruling PP in December – would make abortion illegal except for risk of health to the mother, if the foetus is severely deformed or if the pregnancy is the result of rape.
Parliament was set to vote on the new legislation by the end of July, but now two sources from the PP have admitted that the law would never make it that far.
“There is no consensus on the project,” one told Spanish daily, El Mundo, adding that it was a mistake for the PP to have introduced a proposal that pitted Spain’s religion against the majority of the public.
It is suggested that the U-turn is motivated by electoral concerns, with 2015 municipal, regional and general elections drawing closer.
Since the introduction of the proposals they have been met with severe contention, with up to 80% of the public against the changes, according to polls.
Governments in Andalucia, the Basque Country and Catalunya publicly spoke out against the proposals in the weeks following the announcement.
Asturias and the Canary Islands followed suit, branding the reforms ‘regressive’ and ‘an incomprehensible step backwards’.
Protests were sparked across Spain, in Malaga, Bilbao and Barcelona, while thousands gathered in Madrid to burn an effigy of Minister of Justice Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon, the man behind the reforms.
The PP has not yet confirmed the reports.
Good, let’s hope they do a U-turn, it was a very bad idea.
More like they have parked it for the moment with elections in the horizon, only to resuscitate it if they get into Andalucía first and back into Government in 2015.