Roe<\/em>, abortion is legal in some states and not in others.<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n \n Irene Montero<\/dt>\n \n Before Spain\u2019s new abortion law was passed, access to the procedure was negatively affected by a lack of regulation of those who considered themselves \u201cconscientious objectors,\u201d meaning those who refused to assist the voluntary termination of a pregnancy. Due to that lack of regulation, many women had to travel hundreds of kilometers to another province or autonomous community [Spain\u2019s equivalent of a US state].<\/p>\n
The new abortion law tries to solve this issue by establishing that all public hospitals must be the point of reference for anyone seeking a voluntary termination of pregnancy and that, therefore, women must be able to go to the hospital closest to their home for the procedure. The law also states that health personnel, not just doctors, should be able to perform the abortion if they want to.<\/p>\n
All health care personnel have the constitutional right to conscientious objection, but this right must also be regulated in the same way as we have done with euthanasia in Spain, so that all medical personnel who are objectors appear in a registry. This guarantees that, in the hospital service where those objectors work, there are provisions to always have on staff a doctor who is not an objector and who can carry out voluntary termination of a pregnancy.<\/p>\n
It is important to have very clear information. We met with the equality policy advisor to the governor of New York, and what\u2019s most important now is that women have access to clear information and combat the disinformation spread by reactionaries and of those who are against women’s rights. It\u2019s important to let women know what legislation exists in their state (or in their country) and how they can get access to a safe abortion.<\/p>\n
We also need to be united at moments like this. We have to start from a shared understanding that, if women\u2019s rights are under attack anywhere in the world, it is the responsibility of all of us to do something about it. Because if we do not win the maximum rights for all women, we will always be at risk of setbacks and violation of rights.<\/p>\n
Now is the time for us to show very clearly that we feminists are the majority, and we want what we have for all women.<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n \n \n
Micah Uetricht<\/dt>\n \n What is your reading of the current political situation in the United States, and what advice do you have for the feminist movement here?<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n \n
Irene Montero<\/dt>\n \n The American feminist movement has always been a point of reference for us in Spain. It is an essential part of the history of women and the feminist movement. I have great hopes for the feminist movement both internationally and in the United States.<\/p>\n
We have been pleasantly surprised, because many members of the current coalition came out of the political history of Podemos \u2014 that is to say, from an activist background. Now that we are in government, we have achieved many social movement goals. Spain has become a reference point for the guarantee of women’s rights, and that is a tribute to our work and that of the Spanish feminist movement.<\/p>\n
Just as when Spanish feminists have had to learn from the example of other comrades, now we are in a position where we, too, can contribute to that common pool of experience and help in whatever is possible. But I say this with the utmost respect for a feminist movement like the American movement, which is an international beacon. I am sure the American feminist movement will not accept the violations of women\u2019s rights and that they will not leave the right to decide over their own bodies to a government entity \u2014 especially because that right is the gateway to all other rights. If a woman cannot decide when or when not to be a mother, or what contraceptives to take, it is much more difficult for her to gain employment, health care, culture, and the enjoyment of leisure time. But we have great confidence in the feminist movement.<\/p>\n<\/dd>\n \n <\/dl>\n \n \n\n \n
\n \n\n\nThis post was originally published on Jacobin<\/a>. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At a time when women\u2019s rights are under severe attack in the United States, Americans might be shocked to learn of the recent feminist advances in Spain. These laws include newly liberalized abortion rights, a proposal to give women paid menstrual leave, expanded sex-education laws, and more. Those gains have come as a result of [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18746,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/747923"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18746"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=747923"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/747923\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":748073,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/747923\/revisions\/748073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=747923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=747923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=747923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}