Thousands of people took to the streets in the Spanish capital Madrid on Sunday to protest against abortion. The reason is the approval of a law in the Spanish parliament that broadens access to abortion.
Carrying green balloons with the slogan “Yes to life” and banners reading “A human being, from 0 to 100 years old,” the demonstrators – 23,000 according to local authorities – marched through several streets of the Spanish capital. The annual demonstration was called by the platform “Sí a la vida” (“Yes to life”).
On February 16, Spanish deputies passed a law to strengthen access to abortion in public hospitals, which perform less than 15 percent of abortions in Spain, a country with a Catholic tradition. As a result, women sometimes have to travel hundreds of miles for an abortion.
The law also allows minors aged 16 to have abortions without parental consent, reversing a 2015 Conservative government commitment and introducing “menstrual leave” for women with painful periods. This measure is unprecedented in Europe.
Abortion was legalized in Spain in 1985 and legalized in 2010.
