Spain's conservative Government announced it would tighten up the country's abortion laws to outlaw the procedure in cases where the foetus is deformed.The abortion law introduced by the previous Socialist Government in 2010 legalised abortion on demand in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, and up to the 22nd week if the mother's health is at risk or the foetus shows serious deformities.
In cases of extreme malformation of a foetus, an abortion can be carried out at any time.
Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon said the law should be changed to ban abortion in cases of a deformed foetus.
"I don't understand why we should deprive a foetus of life by allowing abortion for the simple reason that it suffers a handicap or a deformity," he told the daily La Razon on 22 July.