Spaniards reject abortion without parental consent

Madrid, Spain, Jun 2, 2009 / 12:30 pm (CNA).- New polling data shows that almost two-thirds of Spaniards reject the government’s proposal to reform the country's existing abortion law to allow minors to undergo the procedure without parental consent.
 
According to an article in El Pais, a poll carried out on May 27 and 28 revealed that “64 percent of Spaniards oppose abortion for minors without the consent of an adult.”
 
“Sixty seven percent of female respondents said they were against allowing 16 and 17 year-olds to obtain abortions without the knowledge of their parents,” the article added.
 
Spanish pro-life groups pointed out that “teens are not prepared to confront the physical and psychological consequences of these kinds of decisions.”  The government of Jose Luis Zapatero alleges that “if 16 year-old girls can get any other medical treatment without parental consent, abortion should not be an exception.”
 
The overhaul of the country’s abortion laws, which must be approved by Congress, also proposes “abortion on demand until the fourteenth week of pregnancy, and beyond that according to medical review.”