London, : Proposals by the Spanish government to tighten abortion laws in fulfilment of pre-election pledges demonstrate the sincerity of the politicians, but amount to misguided compromises that lack sound rational basis, said the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), a leading pro-life group active in Europe and internationally.
The proposed law would allow abortion when doctors decided there was a threat to the mother's health or when it was suspected or alleged that the baby was conceived in a non-consensual act.
Paul Tully, SPUC's general-secretary, said: "Killing unborn children conceived in rape perpetuates the stigma of rape and punishes the wrong people. There is no rational basis for saying that babies in this situation are any different from others or deserve to be killed before birth.
"The same can be said of situations where there is a threat to the mother's health. In some situations the care of children after birth may have a serious effect on the mother's health. Should we kill children in those situations?" said Mr Tully.
"The law should not be based on arbitrary decisions about past events or the limitations of health services, but on protection of the human person. Our awareness of the human characteristics of the unborn increases from year to year with new discoveries about the behaviour of the baby in the womb and his or her developing capacities", concluded Mr Tully.
Note for editors:
Abortion poses risks to mental health, as British experience testifies, with cases like that of Emma Beck from Cornwall who committed suicide after an abortion. Physical risks to women who have supposedly safe, quasi-legal abortions are serious too. Young healthy women such as Alesha Thomas, Jessie-Maye Barlow and Manon Jones have all died in recent years from the physical aftermath of abortions.
These cases may only be the tip of the iceberg. NHS numbers are not recorded for abortions, which can make it impossible to tell whether a young woman who becomes critically ill or dies has recently had an abortion.
Paul Tully, SPUC's general-secretary, can be contacted on mobile 07939 178719 or 020 7820 3127. SPUC's communications department can be contacted on: