The Spanish Government has greenlighted the reform to enshrine abortion in the country’s Constitution.
The move today was announced by equality minister Ana Redondo during a press conference following the Council of Ministers meeting. The reform will involve adding a new section to Article 43 of the Constitution, which currently addresses the right to health protection.
Government spokesperson Elma Saiz said the measure would place Spain “at the forefront of European countries in the protection of women’s rights”.
The amendment must still be approved by a three-fifths majority in both Congress and the Senate.
The Spanish left-wing party Sumar has been pushing the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) to adopt this proposal.
If adopted, the revised constitutional text would guarantee equal access to abortion services across the country, ensuring the availability of abortion within the public healthcare system.
Reacting to the move by the Socialist government, Santiago Abascal, leader of the right-wing party Vox, accused Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of acting against the interests of Spaniards and being “the enemy of the people”.
“For those from outside … hotels, aid and universal healthcare paid for by ordinary Spaniards. For ordinary Spaniards, only euthanasia, abortion, invasions and assaults. That’s what Sánchez’s government offers: Death, pain, and misery,” he said.
“He hates Spaniards and that’s why he wants to replace them,” he added.
However, Redondo said: “We are safeguarding women’s right to voluntarily terminate their pregnancies in terms of access to services, because it is the provision of these services within the public healthcare system that is at risk, not the freedom of choice.”
“The real and effective exercise of this right throughout the country is at risk,” she warned at the press conference following the Council of Ministers meeting.
Spain’s move follows that of France, which in 2025 became the first European nation to guarantee abortion rights in its Constitution.
Today’s decision comes right before Spanish regional elections.
