Spain's abortion law reform faces opposition

Time is GMT + 8 hours

Posted: 2-Jun-2009 06:34 hrs

Protestors demand the right to abortion during a demonstration in Barcelona in 2008. Plans for a sweeping reform of Spain's abortion law ran into trouble Monday as polls showed strong opposition to a proposal to allow girls as young as 16 to end a pregnancy without parental consent.

Plans for a sweeping reform of Spain's abortion law ran into trouble Monday as polls showed strong opposition to a proposal to allow girls as young as 16 to end a pregnancy without parental consent.

Sixty-four percent of those surveyed in a poll for El Pais daily oppose the measure included in the proposed shake-up of Spain's abortion law unveiled by the government last month.

Among supporters of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's Socialists, 56 percent said they opposed the move, according to the Metroscopia poll of 1,000 people carried out for the left-wing paper on May 27 and 28.

Another poll carried out for the conservative daily ABC found 57 percent of Spaniards "totally" or "relatively" oppose the measure while a third survey published in Catalan daily La Vanguardia put opposition at 71 percent.

Defence Minister Carme Chacon said the controversial measure would have to be considered by parliament where the Socialists lack a majority.

"The goal is to avoid that parents force their 17-year-old or 16-year-old daughter to remain pregnant if she does not want to," Chacon said during an interview with Cadena Ser radio.

"Unfortunately this happens. But in any case, it will be good to debate it."

Under the proposed reform, abortions would be allowed for women of 16 and over up to the 14th week of pregnancy on demand, and up to 22 weeks if there is a risk to the mother's health or if the foetus is deformed.

Women can also undergo the procedure after 22 weeks if the foetus has a serious or incurable illness.

The existing law introduced in 1985, a decade after the death of right-wing dictator Francisco Franco, only allows abortion in cases of rape, fetal malformation and when a pregnant woman's mental or physical health is deemed to be at risk if the pregnancy goes to term.

Zapatero has sought to pass a series of sweeping social reforms since coming to power in 2004 that have angered the Roman Catholic Church.

He has pushed through legislation legalising gay marriage, allowing for fast-track divorces and giving increased rights to transsexuals, among other changes.

The Spanish Family Forum, a coalition of Catholic associations which led opposition to the legalisation of gay marriage in 2005, announced Monday it would stage a demonstration against abortion on October 17 in Madrid.

The proposed abortion reform is expected to be debated in parliament at that time and the protest will be a way to pressure the government, said the president of the forum, Benigno Blanco.

"Abortion should never be legalised because it is an attack against the right to life," he told a news conference.

Spain's conservative opposition Popular Party (PP) has said it will challenge government moves to liberalise the abortion law in the Constitutional Court.

PP leader Mariano Rajoy has accused the government of seeking to distract attention from problems that really concerned Spaniards, notably the steep recession which has created the European Union's highest unemployment rate.

Last month Zapatero defended the abortion changes, saying the state should not "intervene in the free and private decision of a woman, who is the one who has to take on the responsibility of a pregnancy during her entire life."

"Let's take into account what the experts say, the experience of other European countries and let's have confidence in our youth," he added. — AFP

From TODAYOnline.com; see the source article here.

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Government’s position on homosexuality unchanged

Channel NewsAsia - Friday, May 15

Government’s position on homosexuality unchanged

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Government has said it welcomes religious groups and individuals getting active in social issues. But it has warned against mixing religion with politics.

Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng said this, in an interview to be published in the TODAY newspaper on Friday, on the recent saga involving the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE).

Mr Wong added that the government’s position on homosexuality is clear, and it will not be pressured into changing its position as a result of lobbying by pressure groups.

Two years ago, during the debate on whether to decriminalise sex between men, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had clearly stated that the conventional family, a heterosexual stable family is the norm and building block of Singapore society.

But the government also recognises that homosexuals are part of the society. Mr Lee had said then: "Homosexuals work in all sectors, all over the economy, in the public sector as well and in the civil service. They are free to lead their lives, free to pursue their social activities."

That position has not changed. Mr Wong said: "The government was not going to be pressured into changing its position on homosexuality before the takeover of AWARE. Nor does the government intend to change its position now that the Old Guard has recaptured AWARE."

He added that as Singaporeans become more educated and informed, and more space is being opened up for people to express alternative views, there will be more tussles between people holding different points of views.

If any group pushes its agenda aggressively, there will be strong reactions from other groups.

As for the AWARE controversy, the government was worried about the disquieting public perception that a group of conservative Christians — all attending the same church, which held strong views on homosexuality — had moved in and taken over AWARE because they disapproved of what the organisation had been doing.

Hence, he was gratified that the National Council of Churches of Singapore issued a clear statement that it does not condone churches getting involved in the AWARE dispute, and that leaders of different religious faiths came out to reinforce the NCCS message.

Mr Wong said the government has to maintain order impartially. It encourages the development of civic society, and gradual widening of the out—of—bounds (OB) markers. But it will not stand by and watch, when intemperate activism threatens Singapore society.

Asked for his comments on the May 2 AWARE extraordinary general meeting, which saw the new exco being voted out, Mr Wong said both sides must now calm down, and move on. — CNA/ms

From Yahoo! News; see the source article here.