A new law that legalises abortion on demand in Spain for the first time and came into force on July 5 could be suspended and delayed for months or years as opposition groups demand a judicial review. Two appeals have been lodged with the Spanish Constitutional Court, which has the power to abolish laws it finds unconstitutional. The appeals are from the conservative Popular Party—the strongest group in opposition—and the regional government of Navarre. The court has agreed to review the law and has set a two week deadline for the government, the congress, and the senate to register their opposition to the review. The Popular Party has asked for the law to be suspended as a precautionary measure until the court delivers its judgment. If the request is granted the law could be delayed for months or years, even if the judicial institution decides that the law is constitutional.
Abortion on demand for some women will be legal for the first time in Spain from next July. The controversial law that allows women to have an abortion without restrictions during the first 14 weeks of pregnancy was approved in the Senate last Wednesday by a majority of six votes. Representatives of the Spanish Socialist Party and feminist groups welcomed the law, which was promoted by the socialist government. They described it as a "historic step" in the fight for women’s rights. Spain’s president, José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero, said that from now on "it won’t be possible to send women to prison for interrupting their pregnancy." He added that the previous law had been an advance at the time but that "lately it has caused some problems."
The number of organ donors and transplantations fell last year in Spain, the country that leads the ranking in both and whose transplantations model was recently adopted by the EU. The decline—which signals a break in the increase seen in recent years—was caused largely by a sharp reduction in deaths from traffic incidents. Improved management of cerebral infarctions and a small increase in the refusal rate to donate organs among families whose relative has died have also contributed to the fall. The reluctance to donate is particularly widespread among the immigrant population. The number of organ donors in Spain dropped from 34.4 per million inhabitants in 2009 to 32 million in 2010, while the total number of registered donors fell from 1606 in 2009 and 1502 in 2010, reports the Spanish National Transplant Organisation. This reduction is the largest seen in the past 20 years.