BELGIUM: Thousands of pro-abortion activists rally outside the Spanish embassy in Brussels in support of support women's rights in Spain and across Europe
Record ID:
214156
BELGIUM: Thousands of pro-abortion activists rally outside the Spanish embassy in Brussels in support of support women's rights in Spain and across Europe
- Title: BELGIUM: Thousands of pro-abortion activists rally outside the Spanish embassy in Brussels in support of support women's rights in Spain and across Europe
- Date: 29th January 2014
- Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (JANUARY 29, 2014) (REUTERS) SPANISH FLAG OUTSIDE SPANISH EMBASSY PROTESTERS STANDING OUTSIDE SPANISH EMBASSY SIGN READING (French) "ABORTION: WOMEN DECIDE! ABORTION RIGHT" PROTESTERS CHANTING WITH SIGN POLICE OFFICERS STANDING OUTSIDE SPANISH EMBASSY. PROTESTERS CHANTING, WAVING FLAGS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SECRETARY GENERAL FOR SPAIN'S SOCIALIST PARTY IN BRUSSELS, CARMEN MADRID, SAYING: "Well what we shouldn't do is allow this law to be passed, because it's also been supported by Mr. Le Pen which shows that some conservative and extreme right-wing parties want to implement this idea across Europe." SIGN READING (Spanish) "IT'S YOUR DECISION, IT'S YOUR RIGHT" BELGIAN COORDINATOR OF EUROPEAN WOMEN'S LOBBY, VIVIANE TEITELBAUM, LEAVING SPANISH EMBASSY PROTESTERS WAVING SIGNS MAN GIVING SPEECH TO CROWD OF PROTESTERS SIGN READING (Portuguese) "IT WILL NOT PASS" (SOUNDBITE) (English) BELGIAN COORDINATOR OF EUROPEAN WOMEN'S LOBBY, VIVIANE TEITELBAUM, SAYING: "It's important because it's not only women's rights, it's human rights, and it really has a direct implication to democratic values and equality between men and women." PROTESTERS WALKING WITH BANNER PROTESTERS WALKING WITH SIGNS READING (English) "CHURCH AND STATE, MY BODY IS MINE." CROWDS MARCHING WITH SIGNS AND FLAGS PROTESTERS WAVING SIGNS PROTESTERS WALKING AWAY WITH FLAGS MAN WITH SIGN, READING (French) "NO TO THE CRIMINALIZATION OF ABORTION" PROTESTERS WALKING IN FRONT OF EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT BANNER DEPICTING WOMAN'S NAKED BODY WITH WRITING SAYING "EACH WOMAN IS BOSS OF HER OWN BODY" PROTESTERS MARCHING WITH FLAGS AND SIGNS EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, PAN TO DEMONSTRATORS WOMEN CHEERING MAN DELIVERING SPEECH DEMONSTRATORS CHEERING PROTESTERS HOLDING BANNER, READING (French) "Abortion is a solution, not a problem!" EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, SIGN READING (English) "MEDIEVAL LAW IN EUROPE, NO!"
- Embargoed: 13th February 2014 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Belgium
- Country: Belgium
- Topics: International Relations
- Reuters ID: LVAESCUSHUPP93MEKDK7VUU4BMFE
- Story Text: Thousands of of pro-choice activists gathered outside the Spanish Embassy in Brussels on Wednesday (January 29) to protest a proposed abortion law in Spain.
The proposed law will make it harder for women to terminate a pregnancy by restricting a law that had allowed the procedure on request within a 14-week term.
The government's move is seen in Spain as a bid to rally core conservative support.
The law, drafted in December, allows abortion only if the pregnancy poses a serious physical or mental health risk to the mother or in the case of rape.
While the law was designed to protect unborn babies, many activists worry about the health of the mother and her right to choose.
It eliminates the option of abortion on request in the case of malformation of the fetus.
In this case women would also have to argue that the pregnancy poses a physical or mental health risk.
Protesters argued that the proposed new rules will make Spain one of the most restrictive European countries regarding abortion and goes against the regional trend of greater ease of access, after Ireland legalised abortion under limited circumstances last year.
Carmen Madrid, secretary general of Spain's socialist party in Brussels, said popular support was crucial to send a message to other right-wing European parties planning on proposing similar restrictions to their abortion laws.
Madrid cited France's France's far-right National Front political party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen.
"Well what we shouldn't do is allow this law to be passed, because it's also been supported by Mister Le Pen which shows that some conservative and extreme right-wing parties want to implement this idea across Europe," Madrid said.
Spain's ruling People's Party (PP) has an absolute majority in parliament, where the bill is expected to pass easily.
The majority of European countries offer abortion on request, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), with 88 percent allowing the termination of pregnancies if the foetus is thought to be impaired or in cases of rape or incest.
Abortion is illegal on any grounds in Malta and Andorra and severely limited in Poland.
Belgian coordinator of European Women's Lobby, Viviane Teitelbaum said the proposed law was a threat to democracy.
"It's important because it's not only women's rights, it's human rights, and it really has a direct implication to democratic values and equality between men and women," she said.
The PP made reforming the abortion law an electoral promise in its 2011 campaign, and Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon is one of the more right-wing ministers who has often sided with the Catholic Church.
The move to restrict abortion will appeal to core PP supporters at a time when the government cannot carry out economic policies such as lowering taxes, as a result of its struggle to hit strict budget targets imposed by Brussels.
The government has recently implemented other socially conservative policies such as toughening penalties for unauthorised street protests and increasing powers of private security guards, allowing them to make arrests.
The former Socialist government changed the abortion law in 2010, allowing women to terminate unwanted pregnancies on demand within 14 weeks, or up to 22 weeks in cases of severe abnormalities, putting Spain in line with most of western Europe.
Abortion was first decriminalized in Spain in 1985 in the cases of a malformed foetuses, rape or potential mental or physical damage to the mother.
Spain's leading opposition Socialist party has said it will fight the new law. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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