Rajoy's new abortion law hypocritical

Spain's new conservative government has announced plans to partially repeal the reform of its abortion legislation introduced in the summer of 2010. Such amendments are hypocritical, writes journalist Fernanda Câncio in the blog Jugular: "Until 2010 Spain had abortion laws that were as restrictive as those in Portugal in 1984. Abortions were allowed only in cases of rape or serious malformations of the foetus or if pregnancy posed a risk to the woman's life and health. But the law was interpreted very freely. Women could make their own decision. Thousands of Portuguese women therefore had abortions at clinics on the border. In 2007 the laws in Portugal were finally changed after a referendum. ... Some time later Zapatero incorporated a change to the law into his election manifesto, accepting reality, as it were. ... Rajoy has now announced a return to the old laws. Does he really want to put the 100,000 women who have abortions each year on trial? Or is he simply cunning, knowing that everything will stay the same anyway so he's just doing it to pander to the religious fundamentalists?"

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