Spanish Abortion Clinics Begin Strike Action
Moves comes in protest at alleged harassment by government inspectors and activists as part of crackdown on illegal abortions
The private clinics that perform almost 98% of abortions in Spain began a nationwide strike yesterday in protest at what they said was harassment by government inspectors and activists as part of a crackdown on illegal abortions.
Around 40 clinics taking part in the strike have canceled all operations until January 12, forcing an estimated 2,000 women to postpone their appointments.
The Association of Accredited Clinics for the Interruption of Pregnancies (Acai), which organized the strike, said only emergency operations would be carried out.
Acai accused the government of doing nothing to protect patients and the clinics, which have faced angry protests by anti-choice activists and "systematic harassment" by local government inspectors.
The organization said clinics had been vandalized and medical staff insulted by protesters.
It claimed many clinics, particularly in Madrid, had been subjected to arbitrary inspections since the owner of a chain of abortion clinics in Barcelona was arrested in November.
Two other clinics in Madrid were subsequently closed due to alleged administrative irregularities. The city's regional government is run by the conservative opposition Popular party, which supports the Catholic church's position on abortion.
Acai said it had sought talks with regional and national authorities in an attempt to resolve the matter, but to no avail.
"We want to guarantee the right of women to have an abortion and the security of the professionals involved, but we have had no response," Francisca García Gallego, an Acai spokeswoman, said.
She did not rule out further strike action if a resolution was not reached following this week's stoppage.
Last November, Carlos Morín, a millionaire doctor from Peru, was arrested and charged with carrying out illegal abortions after raids on four clinics he runs in Barcelona.
Police reportedly uncovered evidence that staff at the clinics were prepared to carry out abortions on women who were eight months pregnant. An undercover journalist from a Danish TV station secretly filmed Moriín apparently agreeing to her request for an abortion in her seventh month.
His arrest led to lurid media reports of purpose-built machines for destroying fetuses being found at one clinic, and of "abortion tourism", with hundreds of British and European women believed to have visited the clinics.
Until recently, the publicly funded British Pregnancy Advisory Service referred women who wanted to have an abortion beyond the 24-week limit in the UK to the Barcelona clinics.
Acai argued that anti-abortion activists and conservative local authorities had exploited the arrests in Barcelona to demonise all clinics.
"We feel threatened and criminalised, as do the women who have had an abortion," Santiago Barambio, a director of the organization, said.
Spain decriminalized abortion in 1985. Under current law, abortions can be carried out until the 12th week in cases of rape and within the first 22 weeks if there is a risk of fetal deformation.
However, there is no time limit on abortions if there is a risk to the mother's physical or mental health. Opponents claim doctors get around the law by falsely certifying a risk to the mother's mental health to provide legal cover for what would otherwise be an illegal abortion.
The strike comes at a particularly sensitive time for the Socialist government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, which faces elections in March.
After the arrests in Barcelona, Zapatero said reform of the abortion law would be part of the government's election manifesto, but then quickly dropped the idea, saying instead that a discussion should be held to see how the law could be brought up to date.
Pro-choice groups argue that the law should allow women to choose to carry out an abortion within a set time limit - perhaps similar to that in the UK - if they face grave financial or social difficulties, but face opposition from Christian groups.
Legislation proposing a 12-week limited was put forward in the 1990s, but failed to pass through parliament on three occasions.
Around 40 clinics taking part in the strike have canceled all operations until January 12, forcing an estimated 2,000 women to postpone their appointments.
The Association of Accredited Clinics for the Interruption of Pregnancies (Acai), which organized the strike, said only emergency operations would be carried out.
Acai accused the government of doing nothing to protect patients and the clinics, which have faced angry protests by anti-choice activists and "systematic harassment" by local government inspectors.
The organization said clinics had been vandalized and medical staff insulted by protesters.
It claimed many clinics, particularly in Madrid, had been subjected to arbitrary inspections since the owner of a chain of abortion clinics in Barcelona was arrested in November.
Two other clinics in Madrid were subsequently closed due to alleged administrative irregularities. The city's regional government is run by the conservative opposition Popular party, which supports the Catholic church's position on abortion.
Acai said it had sought talks with regional and national authorities in an attempt to resolve the matter, but to no avail.
"We want to guarantee the right of women to have an abortion and the security of the professionals involved, but we have had no response," Francisca García Gallego, an Acai spokeswoman, said.
She did not rule out further strike action if a resolution was not reached following this week's stoppage.
Last November, Carlos Morín, a millionaire doctor from Peru, was arrested and charged with carrying out illegal abortions after raids on four clinics he runs in Barcelona.
Police reportedly uncovered evidence that staff at the clinics were prepared to carry out abortions on women who were eight months pregnant. An undercover journalist from a Danish TV station secretly filmed Moriín apparently agreeing to her request for an abortion in her seventh month.
His arrest led to lurid media reports of purpose-built machines for destroying fetuses being found at one clinic, and of "abortion tourism", with hundreds of British and European women believed to have visited the clinics.
Until recently, the publicly funded British Pregnancy Advisory Service referred women who wanted to have an abortion beyond the 24-week limit in the UK to the Barcelona clinics.
Acai argued that anti-abortion activists and conservative local authorities had exploited the arrests in Barcelona to demonise all clinics.
"We feel threatened and criminalised, as do the women who have had an abortion," Santiago Barambio, a director of the organization, said.
Spain decriminalized abortion in 1985. Under current law, abortions can be carried out until the 12th week in cases of rape and within the first 22 weeks if there is a risk of fetal deformation.
However, there is no time limit on abortions if there is a risk to the mother's physical or mental health. Opponents claim doctors get around the law by falsely certifying a risk to the mother's mental health to provide legal cover for what would otherwise be an illegal abortion.
The strike comes at a particularly sensitive time for the Socialist government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, which faces elections in March.
After the arrests in Barcelona, Zapatero said reform of the abortion law would be part of the government's election manifesto, but then quickly dropped the idea, saying instead that a discussion should be held to see how the law could be brought up to date.
Pro-choice groups argue that the law should allow women to choose to carry out an abortion within a set time limit - perhaps similar to that in the UK - if they face grave financial or social difficulties, but face opposition from Christian groups.
Legislation proposing a 12-week limited was put forward in the 1990s, but failed to pass through parliament on three occasions.
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