Abortion in Andalusia: Women’s Rights after the Gallardón Bill

Abstract

The aim of this article is to examine the current situation of abortion in Andalusia, especially taking into account the effects deriving from the debates on the Gallardón bill on voluntary pregnancy termination. It is based on fieldwork carried out in Andalusia in two periods of time in 2015 and 2016, including in-depth interviews with gynaecologists working in public hospitals and certified private clinics, as well as with pro-abortion and feminist activists and Andalusian Health Service staff.
It reviews the situation before 1985, when abortion was not legal; it then examines the changes in abortion healthcare with the implementation of the Organic Law and with the Law approved in 2010, which allowed the termination of pregnancy on women’s request. Rajoy’s government promoted the re-criminalization of abortion. The article examines the discourses that took place during the Gallardón’s bill debate. Finally, it describes the current situation of abortion in Andalusia, focusing on the effects of that debate on the role played by conscientious objection and the stigma of abortion. It concludes by questioning what lies behind the current situation.