Spanish Leader Right about Support for Abortion

“The leader of the Spanish Congress, Jose Bono, is absolutely right that Spanish politicians may vote for laws legalizing access to abortion,” said the president of Catholics for Choice, Jon O’Brien. “And, in taking this stance, Mr. Bono has listened to what Catholics in Spain are saying about abortion, something that the bishops clearly have not.”

A recent poll by Catholics for Choice shows that the Spanish public, which is at least three-quarters Catholic, largely rejects the position of the Catholic bishops on abortion. Two-thirds of Spaniards (68%) disagree with the bishops’ opposition to abortion, while fewer than two in ten (19%) say they stand on the side of the bishops.

There is strong, widespread support in Spain for abortion to be legal in a range of diverse circumstances women may face. Over eight in ten Spaniards believe abortion should be legal when a pregnancy poses a serious threat to a woman’s life (87%), when it poses a serious threat to a woman’s physical or mental health (86%), or is the result of rape or incest (82%). Another 79% believe abortion should be legal if test results show fetal malformation.

Beyond extenuating circumstances, a large majority of Spaniards support a basic right to abortion. Fully six in ten (62%) say that abortion generally should be legal during the first trimester of pregnancy, leaving the decision up to women and their doctors.

O’Brien continued, “Catholics around the world, including public figures and political representatives, know that you can support choice in good conscience and continue to be a good Catholic.”

Click here for the full results of the poll in English.

Click here to read the press release in Spanish.

Click here for the full results of the poll in Spanish.

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