In Spain, since the 2015 abortion law reform, a minor girl can have an abortion only with the signed consent of her parents. You must go accompanied by them, or one of them, to a clinic or Social Security and express your own will to abort, such as the consent of their parents or legal guardians.
Before the entry into force of this reform, minors between 16 and 18 years of age who wanted to have an abortion did not need the consent of their parents, or guardians of one of them. What did happen is that they had the duty to inform of their decision at least one of his parents. But if they alleged coercion, a situation of family violence, or mistreatment, they did not need to report their decision. All these facts were reflected in the reports of the social services.
What if my daughter decides to have an abortion?
Talk about pregnancy of an adolescent at home is a complicated situation, In the current legislation if a minor wants to have an abortion you need the consent of your parents or legal guardians. All girls under the age of 18 are subject to the same legal obligation.
Sometimes it happens that girls who decide not to continue with the pregnancy seek advice from their own public or private clinics, and they offer themselves mediators between the minor and her parents, in order for them to understand the situation, inform themselves, assess the risks and can reach an agreement. In the consultation they will explain the abortion methods, which will be the same as if you were of legal age, and which depend on the weeks of gestation. The youngest pregnant too you can choose which method prefer.
Remember that in Spain abortion is free, within the first 14 weeks of gestation and the woman, older or younger, does not have to state any motive, only to state her decision, and in the case of minors, the consent of their parents. Social Security provides abortion services among its services and guarantees equality and quality in access to this service for all women living in the autonomous community in which they live.
Different situations according to the autonomous community
The reality is that there are differences when it comes to applying this reform of the abortion law, since the autonomous communities have set their own rules in access to abortion. The Community of Madrid It is the one that places the most requirements on access to abortion for minors. In this community, minors must go accompanied by their two parents (father and mother) and both have to sign the consent.
Madrid is the only autonomous community that requires both parents to sign. In the rest of the communities, the consent of the mother or father is sufficient so that the minor can interrupt the pregnancy.
In December 2019 the current coalition government stated that 16 and 17 year old girls will be allowed to abort without parental permission. However, the reform has not been carried out and the signature of the father, the mother, or both is still required.
Abortion over the Internet
Although we do not like it, we cannot ignore that there are teenagers who abort with pills that they buy on the Internet, and they take them without medical supervision with the risks that this implies. Many of them do it because they do not obtain the permission of their parents, or do not dare to ask for it and choose to take these risks to terminate their pregnancy.
On the Internet there are dozens of advertisements that offer Misoprostol, the active ingredient that is marketed as Cytotec. This is a drug, which is legally only administered in health centers and hospitals, that induces contractions to expel the fetus before nine weeks of pregnancy. There is no warning of the risks of fever, nausea or bleeding, or of the need to visit a doctor first.
El average price of each pill is 40 euros, 2 orally and 2 intravaginally are recommended on the web pages for abortion. Shipments are made using a postal certificate from Madrid.