Global General

Spanish Senate passes new abortion law

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-02-25 11:21

MADRID: The Spanish Senate approved on Wednesday a new law that eases restrictions on abortion.

The abortion bill was passed after a majority of senators rejected three veto attempts, one from the opposition Popular Party and the others from Catalan nationalist UDC-CiU and the Union del Pueblo Navarro.

The law lowers the age one can legally decide to terminate a pregnancy in Spain down to 16 years old, and allows an abortion to be performed up to 14 weeks of pregnancy.

Those 14 weeks can be extended to 22 weeks if the mother's life is thought to be at risk by continuing the pregnancy.

Abortion has been highly controversial in Spain, which is still a Catholic country, and the proposals have met with opposition from conservative groups.

"Women who don't agree with the law won't make use of it, but we cannot and should not impede those women who do want to take advantage of it," said Leire Pajin, secretary of the governing Socialist Party.