Spain to end legal ban on abortion

The Spanish government said on Thursday it wants to end a legal ban on abortion, a move which will generate controversy in the mainly Roman Catholic country despite the fact that loopholes make it relatively easy in practice to obtain a termination.

The Socialist government's bill, to be sent to Congress where it will face resistance from the conservative opposition, will allow abortion in most cases up until the 14th week of gestation.

The government argues that the women are being unfairly stigmatised by current laws, under which abortion is a crime.

"The bill looks to preserve the dignity of women, that is its spirit from beginning to end," Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega said at the government's weekly press conference.

Women can get abortions in Spain if they argue that to go ahead with the pregnancy would cause them psychological damage, and prosecutions are almost unheard of.

One aspect of the bill which will generate debate is its proposal to allow girls to obtain abortions without parental consent from the age of 16.

European Commission statistics show that in 2004 abortion was relatively more common in Spain than in Germany, where laws are more liberal.