Spanish Government fast-tracks decree on abortion information

The Spanish Council of Ministers has authorized the urgent processing of a royal decree to regulate the information women must receive prior to undergoing an abortion. The Ministry of Equality aims to ensure that all women, regardless of their region, receive information that is “truthful, clear, objective, accessible and adequate to the current legal regime” to facilitate free and informed decisions.

The regulation seeks to standardize medical information and prevent the dissemination of unscientific claims or misinformation. This move follows controversies in Madrid, where local authorities previously proposed informing women about a so-called “post-abortion syndrome,” a condition not recognized as a clinical diagnosis by medical authorities.

Under the proposed decree, healthcare professionals must provide details regarding the nature of the intervention, available methods, accredited public and private health centers, necessary procedures, and patient rights. The law also specifies that medical staff should not establish a preference for either pharmacological or surgical methods unless clinically indicated.