This is a petition about the proposal to remove the right of women in Spain to abortion in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, and many would say it is a proposal influenced by senior members of the Catholic church. It is feared that if the reform is implemented, it will have a major impact on the 100,000 abortions registered each year in Spain.
Empar Pineda, the director of a private clinic that carries out abortions, has campaigned for Spanish women’s right to abortion since the 1970s. She warns that pregnant women could be forced either to go abroad for terminations or visit unregulated back-street clinics where their health will be at risk. She also believes the reform is reminiscent of the country’s oppressive right-wing dictatorship.
"This reform," she said, "treats women like eternal minors who need to be supervised and protected by others who supposedly have the authority to decide whether they can have an abortion or not."
