The Council of Ministers has approved in second reading the constitutional reform project to enshrine the right to abortion, an initiative that the Government has been promoting since October 2025 and that now begins its parliamentary processing. The proposal aims to modify article 43 of the Constitution to include a new section that guarantees access to voluntary termination of pregnancy under conditions of equality throughout the country.
The Minister of Equality, Ana Redondo, has defended the measure as a democratic and social advance: “Spain advances in the social and legal recognition of women's right to self-determination”. As she has emphasized, it is “an important day for Spanish democracy”, with the aim of protecting this right against possible setbacks.
The text proposes that “public authorities will guarantee the exercise of women's right to voluntary termination of pregnancy under conditions of real and effective equality”, thus incorporating abortion as part of the right to health protection. If it goes ahead, Spain would become the second country in the world to include this right in its Constitution, following France's precedent in 2024.
From the Government they maintain that the main problem is not the legality of abortion, but its effective access. According to data from the Ministry of Health, in 2024 there were registered 106,172 voluntary terminations of pregnancy, of which 78.74% were performed in private centers. “The service dimension is at risk,” Redondo has warned, pointing out that many women are forced to go to private clinics where they suffer pressure or stigmatization.
The Executive trusts in gathering sufficient support in Congress and the Senate, where the reform will require a three-fifths majority. In this context, Redondo has appealed directly to the Popular Party led by Alberto Núñez Feijóo: “Even Marine Le Pen voted in favor in France,” he recalled, showing his confidence that the PP will support the initiative.
