Expressing our solidarity with Spanish women, we call the Government of Spain to withdraw the anti-abortion bill.
We’re addressing everyone, regardless of their political affiliation, to rise up in order to defend the fundamentals of our society. We urge the Government to hear those Spanish men and women who have been protesting against this bill for the last few weeks.
This draft law, that aims to restrict abortion, allowing the practice only in cases of rape or serious risk to woman’s health, represents a grave step back for a country in which women's rights have been placed in heart of political debates in recent years. It would be a blatant throwback!
We’re all well aware that it was Spain who pioneered in Europe in its fight against sexual and gender-based violence. It was Spain who inspired in 2010 the French law ensuring the order of protection and establishing an emergency hotline for women victims of violence. So today, Spain just cannot become the country of the throwback.
The right of women to control their own bodies is the very least prerequisite in a society that aspires to build equality. It is a fundamental right that, in fact, represents the very foundation of equality. This is the main illustration of women's emancipation in society.
Women's freedom to choose whether to have a child or not is the key issue for all other rights. Without a freedom of having control over your body, it is impossible to imagine equality in a couple or family, equality in business or in the public sphere.
As regards France, already in 1975, Simone Veil, an important figure of national and European policy, introduced this essential democratic achievement for women, which was indeed supported by both right and left political families as an appeal to overcome traditional social cleavages.
Today in the world every 9 minutes a woman dies as a victim of illegal abortion. Being deprived of these fundamental rights Spanish women will face serious consequences in terms of public health. Even in countries where the authorities are ensuring information on contraception, abortion remains a fundamental right.
We stand in solidarity with Spanish women and by advancing this call we step in with what concerns us all, beyond any national border.