Abortion is not a crime
Spanish women fight back a sufficient income.
After the rejection by the tribunal, some socialist deputies proposed a new bill which would contain a 'social clause' authorising abortion in cases where the pregnancy would cause serious social problems for the pregnant woman. The socialist parliamentary group decided that this was not the moment' and rejected
In the same year as their entry into the European Economic Community
(EEC), the Spanish state has also joined the right-wing abortion rights. It has joined with two other countries in the BEC where abortion is illegal — Belgium and Ireland.
This socialist dominated government has capitulated to the pressures of the church and the right-wing and the tribunal has been able to sir and i outs niem to anche, 27 April 1985, paper sabotage the proposed extension of abortion rights.
of the Swiss section of the Fourth International.
Since it was written the womens movement in Spain has launched a massive campaign in defence of abortion rights. In Barcelona and
Pamplona 15,000 demonstrated in each city, in Madrid 10,000 marched in a week of action from 22-28 April.
Eva LAMAS
The Spanish constitutional tribunal has recently declared against the law on decriminalisation of abortion which had been presented to the socialist government
This and accepted by parliament.
law of would have made termination pregnancy legal in the case of rape of the mother, the malformation of the life of the foetus or danger to the mother. However, the entire law was declared unconstitutional on the grounds that it did not contain sufficient guarantees under article 15 of the constitution to protect the right to life for 'everyone'
According to the Tribunal only 'ethical"
abortions (that is following pregnancy to the rape of the mother) are due constitutional and even then only if the rape has been reported to the police.
In the two other cases, the constitutional tribunal would demand medical guarantees that 'abuse' would be avoided;
second guarantees to include a such doctor's opinion, and the establishment within hospitals of special centres authorised to practise terminations. The constitutional tribunal was divided sixsix on this and it was the chairperson of the balance in this body who tipped favour of blocking the new law.
remain
Abortion in Spain will thus a crime. According to the World Health
Organisation, unwanted pregnancies exist for 50% of Spain's 8 million women of child-bearing age.
The pregnant woman may first attempt to abort herself using sorts of products (parsley, saffron, all
When they fail to obtain bleach etc.)
desired result, they will resort to a the
"backstreet abortionist' which costs about
30,000 pesetas (about £160).
The sociologist,
Josuna
Aguninaga
32,000 estimates that there are about abortions performed in Spain usually with terrible consequences for the health of the mother ending in hospitalisation alliance against and sometimes death.
Every year, a growing number of women go to London or Amsterdam or to the French border in order to obtain abortion in decent conditions. According to official figures given by the British census office 22,999 Spanish women came to get abortions in Britain in 1983. In June, 1984 the constitutional tribunal decriminalised the obtaining of abroad. So under this SO-called socialist government only women who are able to get information and money together have the right to a wanted child.
Another possibility for Spanish women is to obtain an abortion in Tangiers. The death in 1983 of a woman with four children who was trying to obtain an abortion in Tangiers revealed the existence of this 'London of the South' frequented every year by hundreds of young Andalusian women.
the proposal. This rejection by the socialists is more serious than it seems at first because they refused to introduce this 'social clause' into the existing bill, even when the verdict of the constitutional tribunal left that one question open. Under their law the only legal abortions will therefore be on therapeutic, eugenic and ethical grounds. This will affect about 4% of the women who have abortions every year.
According to Empar Pineda, the spokesperson of the commission on abortion of the Feminist Movement in Madrid, "Now is the time to say to the government, when they legislate on abortion, that their starting point should be the right of women and not the idea that abortion is a crime which they are going to decriminalise in three cases.' (El
The coordination of womens groups in Barcelona has called a demonstration for April 25. This mobilisation will be decisive. Not only in the short term for obtaining even this minimalist legislation; but also because many women will still face harassment and imprisonment for the "crime' of abortion. In 1982, during the famous trial in Bilbao, the mobilisations won an acquital for the ten women and one man on trial for the crime of abortion. This battle for womens rights is also a battle against the right and against reaction. The feminist movement must not be left alone to fight.
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