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Spain Abortion Bill Violates Human Rights

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Issues:

Abortion, Legal Restrictions

Regions:

Europe, Spain

Work:

Engaging Policymakers, Around the World

Type:

News, Press Releases

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05.12.2014

Engaging Policymakers Abortion Europe News

Spain Abortion Bill Violates Human Rights

Justin Goldberg

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Spain Abortion Bill Violates Human Rights

(PRESS RELEASE) The Spanish government should protect women’s access to safe and legal abortion by scrapping draft legislation that would ban abortion with only severely limited exceptions, according to a letter sent on May 9, 2014, to Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón by six national and international groups. According to media reports, the government plans to introduce the bill, in June.



Alianza por la Solidaridad, Center for Reproductive Rights, European NGOs for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Population and Development (EuroNGOs), Federación de Planificación Familiar Estatal, Human Rights Watch, and Rights International Spain called the draft legislation “a serious threat to women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights.”



The proposed changes to Spain’s abortion law would put the country out of step with the vast majority of EU countries and expose Spain to condemnation by international and European human rights bodies, the groups said.



International human rights law recognizes that access to safe and legal abortion is crucial to women’s and girls’ effective enjoyment and exercise of their human rights, including the rights to life, nondiscrimination and equality, health, privacy, to decide on the number and spacing of children, and to be free from cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. International expert bodies, such as the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the United Nations special rapporteur on the right to health, have expressed concern about the relationship between restrictive abortion laws, clandestine abortions, and threats to women’s and girls’ lives, health, and well-being.



The European Court of Human Rights has found that restrictive abortion laws can constitute inhuman and degrading treatment. The court has ruled that in countries where abortion is legal, women must have real and effective access to such services.



Under current law in Spain, which is similar to that of most European countries, women and girls have the right to choose to terminate a pregnancy up through 14 weeks. The proposed legislation would allow abortions only when the woman’s physical or mental health is endangered, up to 22 weeks, and when the pregnancy is the result of sexual violence, up to 12 weeks. This would create significant obstacles to abortion even in those limited circumstances, requiring two specialist doctors to testify to the threat to physical or mental health of a woman and forcing women seeking an abortion as a result of sexual violence to make a report with the police. And those seeking abortions for any reason would have to undergo mandatory counseling and waiting periods. Furthermore, the bill would allow medical providers to refuse to provide abortion care as a matter of conscience without adequate regulation and monitoring in these cases to ensure women have access to life-saving medical care.  



The Spanish government should to take all necessary steps to ensure that women and girls in Spain have informed and unhindered access to safe and legal abortion services in the exercise of their reproductive and other human rights, the groups said.



For More Information, please contact:



For Alianza por la Solidaridad, in Madrid: Carolina Garcia (Spanish, English, French): +34 91 598 6290, +34 665223140 (mobile), or [email protected]  



For the Center for Reproductive Rights, in New York: Natalia Garzon (English, Spanish): +1 917 637 3668, +1 917 257 9793, or [email protected]



For Human Rights Watch, in Milan: Judith Sunderland (English, Spanish, Italian, French): +39 338 699 0933 (mobile), or [email protected]



For Rights International Spain, in Madrid: Lydia Vicente (English and Spanish): +34627574064 (mobile), or [email protected]



###



España: Anteproyecto de Ley sobre aborto vulnera derechos



Retirar el proyecto legislativo y asegurar libertades sexuales y reproductivas



(Madrid, 12 de mayo de 2014) – El gobierno español debería proteger el acceso de mujeres al aborto legal y seguro, retirando el Anteproyecto de Ley que prohibiría el aborto salvo en excepciones extremadamente limitadas, según se señala en una carta enviada el viernes 9 de mayo al Ministro de Justicia Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón por seis organizaciones nacionales e internacionales. El Anteproyecto, que recibió el apoyo del gobierno en diciembre de 2013, según informaciones llegaría al Congreso en verano para comenzar su tramitación parlamentaria.



Alianza por la Solidaridad, el Centro de Derechos Reproductivos, European NGOs for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Population and Development (EuroNGOs), la Federación de Planificación Familiar Estatal, Human Rights Watch, y Rights International Spain han calificado el proyecto legislativo como una “grave amenaza para la salud y los derechos sexuales y reproductivos de las mujeres”.



De aprobarse los cambios propuestos en la legislación sobre aborto vigente en España, el país se apartaría de la tendencia seguida por la gran mayoría de los países de la Unión Europea y se expondría al rechazo de organismos de derechos humanos internacionales y europeos, han señalado las organizaciones.



Las normas internacionales de derechos humanos reconocen que el acceso a abortos legales y seguros es fundamental para el disfrute y el ejercicio efectivos de los derechos humanos por parte de mujeres y jóvenes, incluido el derecho a la vida, a no ser discriminadas y a la igualdad, a la salud, a la privacidad, a decidir sobre el número de hijos e hijas y el intervalo entre los nacimientos, y a no ser objeto de trato cruel, inhumano o degradante. Diversos órganos internacionales especializados, como el Comité de las Naciones Unidas para la Eliminación de la Discriminación contra la Mujer y el Relator Especial de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Derecho a la Salud, han expresado preocupación con respecto a la relación entre las leyes restrictivas en materia de aborto, los abortos clandestinos y los riesgos para la vida, la salud y el bienestar de mujeres y jóvenes.



El Tribunal Europeo de Derechos Humanos ha determinado que las leyes restrictivas sobre aborto pueden constituir un trato inhumano y degradante. El Tribunal ha resuelto que, en países donde el aborto es lícito, las mujeres deben tener un acceso real y efectivo a este tipo de servicios.



La legislación actualmente vigente en España, que es similar a la de la mayoría de los países europeos, establece que las mujeres y las jóvenes tienen derecho a decidir interrumpir un embarazo hasta la semana 14 de gestación. El Anteproyecto solamente permitiría practicar abortos cuando exista un riesgo para la salud física o mental de la mujer (hasta las 22 semanas) y en casos en que el embarazo sea el resultado de un acto de violencia sexual (hasta las 12 semanas). Esto supone la creación de serios obstáculos para acceder al aborto incluso en esas circunstancias limitadas, al exigir que dos médicos especialistas declaren que existe un riesgo para la salud física o mental de la mujer, y al obligar a las mujeres que soliciten un aborto luego de un acto de violencia sexual a interponer una denuncia policial. Además, quienes soliciten la interrupción voluntaria del embarazo, sea cual sea el motivo, deberán recibir asesoramiento asistencial y esperar obligatoriamente un periodo de días estipulado. Asimismo, el Anteproyecto permitiría al personal médico negarse a brindar servicios de aborto invocando la objeción de conciencia, sin que exista una adecuada reglamentación ni supervisión de estos casos para asegurar que las mujeres tengan acceso a atención médica vital.



El gobierno español debería adoptar todas las medidas necesarias para asegurar que las mujeres y las jóvenes en España disponen de toda la información necesaria y tienen acceso sin obstáculos, a servicios de aborto legales y seguros en el ejercicio de sus derechos sexuales y reproductivos y otros derechos humanos, expresaron las organizaciones.



Para obtener más información, comuníquese con las siguientes personas:



Para la Alianza por la Solidaridad, en Madrid: Carolina García (español, inglés, francés): +34 91 598 6290, +34 665223140 (celular), o [email protected]



Para el Centro de Derechos Reproductivos, en Nueva York: Natalia Garzón (inglés, español): +1 917 637 3668, +1 917 257 9793, o [email protected]



Para Human Rights Watch, en Milán: Judith Sunderland (inglés, español, italiano, francés): +39 338 699 0933 (celular), o [email protected]



Para Rights International Spain, en Madrid: Lydia Vicente (inglés, español): +34627574064 (celular), o [email protected]


https://reproductiverights.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Letter-Gallardon_May-2014_ENG-final.pdf
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