Spain’s leftist government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, has pledged to enshrine the right to abortion in the country’s constitution, following a dispute over Madrid’s city council decision to promote information on ‘post-abortion syndrome’.
Sanchez accused the conservative Popular Party (PP) of aligning with the far right after they backed a Vox initiative requiring health centers to provide specific warnings to women considering abortion. The move requires a three-fifths parliamentary majority and seeks to prevent the dissemination of ‘misleading’ information about abortion. Madrid’s PP-led council initially approved the measure, but Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida later reversed the decision, stating that the syndrome is not a recognized scientific category.
Abortion was decriminalized in Spain in 1985 in limited cases, and a 2010 reform allowed it up to 14 weeks. Last year, France became the first country in the world to enshrine abortion rights in its constitution.
The debate comes amid growing concerns about Europe’s demographic future, with Elon Musk recently warning that Europe could ‘die out’ unless birth rates return to replacement levels of 2.1 children per woman. Some studies suggest that the long-term survival threshold is closer to 2.7 children. According to recent data, Spain’s fertility rate is currently 1.41 births per woman – among the lowest in the EU. Europe as a whole also faces a steep decline, with nearly all countries reporting fertility below the replacement benchmark.
Spain’s leftist government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, has pledged to enshrine the right to abortion in the country’s constitution, following a dispute over Madrid’s city council decision to promote information on ‘post-abortion syndrome’.
Sanchez accused the conservative Popular Party (PP) of aligning with the far right after they backed a Vox initiative requiring health centers to provide specific warnings to women considering abortion. The move requires a three-fifths parliamentary majority and seeks to prevent the dissemination of ‘misleading’ information about abortion. Madrid’s PP-led council initially approved the measure, but Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida later reversed the decision, stating that the syndrome is not a recognized scientific category.
Abortion was decriminalized in Spain in 1985 in limited cases, and a 2010 reform allowed it up to 14 weeks. Last year, France became the first country in the world to enshrine abortion rights in its constitution.
The debate comes amid growing concerns about Europe’s demographic future, with Elon Musk recently warning that Europe could ‘die out’ unless birth rates return to replacement levels of 2.1 children per woman. Some studies suggest that the long-term survival threshold is closer to 2.7 children. According to recent data, Spain’s fertility rate is currently 1.41 births per woman – among the lowest in the EU. Europe as a whole also faces a steep decline, with nearly all countries reporting fertility below the replacement benchmark.