Spain likely to relax tough new abortion law

The Spanish government announced on Monday it was studying slightly relaxing the projected anti-abortion law.
The law, which was drafted in late December last year, will only allow abortions in cases of rape which have been reported to the police or when a risk to the mother's health has been proved by a medical certificate.
This will severely restrict the conditions of the current abortion law in place in Spain, which allows mothers to abort during the first 14 weeks of pregnancy and up to 22 weeks if the mother's physical or mental health is at risk.
The proposed changes have been heavily criticized by women groups and pro-choice organizations, but until now it seemed the protests over a law which will restricts abortion rights to pre-1985 levels had failed to convince the government.
Meanwhile pro-life groups complained that the new law failed to go far enough in limiting abortions.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy commented in May that his government was "not going to withdraw the law," in an interview with radio station Cadena Ser.
However on Monday, Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz Gallardon opened the door for a slight relaxation of the law, by confirming the government would study the recommendations consulted before drafting the law.
"We are in a period of studying these reports and when the government has them all in its hands, we will have to take decisions based on the recommendations," he said.
The main recommendation from these organizations is that when the law is passed by the Spanish Parliament, probably in July to come into effect at the end of the year, women whose fetuses suffer malformations will also be able to abort, whether or not the birth poses a threat to the mother's life.
The El Pais newspaper reports, however, that despite this modification the law will be the most restrictive since 1985 and one of the most restrictive in Europe.