Spanish Catholic King Juan Carlos Signs Bill Into Law Expanding Abortions

International   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Mar 5, 2010   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Spanish Catholic King Juan Carlos Signs Bill Into Law Expanding Abortions

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
March 5
, 2010

Madrid, Spain (LifeNews.com) — King Juan Carlos of Spain is upsetting pro-life Catholics by signing into law a bill the Spanish Parliament passed that expands legalized abortions. Although the signing was ceremonial in nature, Juan Carlos has come under fire from Human Life International, which urged him not to sign it.

Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, president of Human Life International, said earlier this week that Juan Carlos should refuse to allow the measure to become law.

"The world is watching to see whether Spain’s Head of State, Juan Carlos de Borbón, will abdicate his moral leadership of the nation and sign the death warrants of millions more Spanish babies who will be killed by abortion," he told LifeNews.com. "He has already been complicit, by his signature, in the deaths of millions in the first abortion law he signed in 1985."

A poll conducted by Instituto Noxa in October 2009 showed that more Spanish citizens oppose expanding abortion than support its expansion.

The Spain Parliament last month approved the final version of a new law that expands abortions and provides no parental consent for teenagers wanting abortions. Strong opposition from pro-life advocates and the Catholic Church couldn’t stop the bill, which receive a 132-126 vote in the Spain Senate.

Under the bill, abortions are allowed for any reason to 14 weeks, they are allowed up to 22 weeks if an abortion practitioner certifies a serious threat to the health of the mother, or says the unborn child is disabled.

Beyond 22 weeks, abortions are only allowed in serious cases of fetal disability and in cases where the pregnancy threatens the mother’s life.

The new bill received automatic approval when a majority of senators rejected three proposals by conservative parties to veto it, and then rejected 88 amendments to water it down.

Abortion was officially allowed in 1985 but only for cases of rape or when a woman’s life or health is in danger.

Spanish abortion centers had been misusing the health exception to essentially allow any abortions, including late-term abortions, but the new law makes it so they no longer have to worry about running afoul of the law.

Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who took office in 2004, had been pushing for the abortion expansion.

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