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Spanish Parliament Urged not to Loosen Abortion Law

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman

MADRID, November 5, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Representatives of various pro-life and pro-family organizations are urging Spanish lawmakers not to loosen Spain's already liberal abortion law.

Family Forum President Benigno Blanco is denouncing the socialists' plans to loosen restrictions on abortion in the country, stating that "it is an enormous injustice to abandon the child and the mother, and this is what the new free abortion law intends to do."

Blanco is urging the Spanish Parliament to implement a "plan for supporting pregnant women, in such a way that it isn't seen as an obligation to put forth abortion as the only solution to their problems."

Eduardo Hertfelder of the Family Policy Institute (IPF), is urging lawmakers to reform the law instead so that existing regulations will actually be enforced, rather than allowing women to freely claim they have a "psychological risk" in order to obtain an abortion.  "Ninety-seven percent of women who obtain abortions use the excuse of psychological risk," he observes.

Esperanza Puente of the Mother's Network, says that "what we women want are alternatives, and to be helped to move forward.  Both abortionists and those who defend the culture of life agree that no woman wants to abort when confronted with an unexpected pregnancy."

The groups have been scheduled to testify before a congressional subcommittee in hearings on the issue, which are being held in the wake of gruesome discoveries of industrial sized food processors used to grind up the bodies of aborted babies, as well as illegal late-term abortions documented by undercover reporters.

However, despite the scandals that rocked Spain late last year, the ruling Spanish Socialist Worker's Party has blamed the situation on the few remaining restrictions on abortion in Spanish law, and has introduced a measure to liberalize the practice further.

Unlike most European countries, abortions beyond 22 weeks gestation can be performed easily in Spain with only a diagnosis of "psychological risk."  Undercover reporters have documented systems of fraudulent diagnoses run by the clinics in conjunction with psychologists.  One woman was arrested by Dutch authorities earlier this year for obtaining such an illegal abortion in Spain.

Previous LifeSiteNews coverage:

Dutch Government Prosecutes Woman for Murder Following Late-Term Abortion in Spain
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/feb/08020102.html

Spanish Abortion Rate Skyrockets to over 100,000 Annually
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jan/08010701.html

Spanish Socialist Ruling Party Seeks to Make Abortion Free
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/feb/08021807.html

Full Abortions Shown On Spanish Television - First In History
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/dec/07121401.html

Late Term Abortionist Arrested by Spain's Police
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/nov/07112913.html

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