Spain and Italy clash over abortion laws

Anti-abortion activists in Rome hold signs reading "Pro-life, get out of the clinics"

Spain and Italy have clashed over a proposal by Italy's ruling right-wing coalition to allow anti-abortion groups into abortion clinics.

The lower house of parliament in Rome is set to pass the bill on Thursday.

Spanish Equality Minister Ana Redondo weighed into the debate prompting a spat with Italy's Giorgia Meloni.

Allowing the "organised harassment" of women in abortion clinics meant "undermining a right recognised by the law", Ms Redondo declared on X.

"It is the strategy of the extreme right: to intimidate in order to row back on rights," she added.

The Italian prime minister hit back at a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels.

"Several times I've listened to foreign ministers talk about internal Italian matters without knowing the full facts," she told reporters. "Usually when people are ignorant about a certain topic they should at least have the good sense not to impart lessons on others."

Abortion has been legal in Italy since 1978 during the first 90 days of pregnancy, under what has come to be known as Law 194.

But access to abortion remains patchy due to the high number of medical personnel who identify as "conscientious objectors" and can therefore refuse to perform abortions. Data from the Italian ministry of health shows that over 63% of gynaecologists are conscientious objectors. In some southern regions like Sicily and Abruzzo, that percentage climbs to over 84%.

Ms Meloni has never made a secret of her opposition to abortion. Before being appointed prime minister in 2022, she vowed to "give the right to make a different decision to women who think abortion is the only solution".

The government's disputed amendment will allow anti-abortion groups to operate in publicly run family clinics and has been tacked on to Italy's EU-funded post-Covid recovery plan.

Ms Meloni and her coalition partners argue their amendment is in keeping with Law 194, as it already states that family "counselling centres" should assist women to "overcome the factors which might lead the woman to have her pregnancy terminated".

Family Minister Eugenia Rocella called on politicians outside Italy "to form an opinion based on the law and not on propaganda by the Italian left wing who say they want to protect Law 194 but don't know what it entails".

But the leader of the centre-left Democratic party (PD), Elly Schlein, said the measure was a "heavy attack on the liberty of women".

Gilda Sportiello of the Five Star Movement (M5S), told parliament ahead of the vote that she had an abortion 14 years ago: "I'm sharing this here today because... I wouldn't want any woman to feel like she is being attacked by the state."

"It is only us women who have to choose what we want from our lives and whether to be become mothers or not," she added. "You should all be ashamed of yourselves."

Jacopo Coghe of anti-abortion group Pro Vita & Famiglia said they had no intention to enter clinics and would instead focus on raising public awareness through national campaigns.

Many observers have noted that several regional right-wing administrations already allow such groups to operate in family clinics.

The controversial amendment was passed on Tuesday and MPs are set to approve the wider Covid recovery bill on Thursday ahead of a later vote by the Senate.