Spain government proposes paid menstrual leave and wider abortion rights News
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Spain government proposes paid menstrual leave and wider abortion rights

The Spanish government approved a draft bill Tuesday that extends abortion access for teenagers, removes existing obstacles to abortion, and may make Spain the first country in Europe to grant workers menstrual leave.

The draft, which Spain’s Council of Ministers approved, will reform Spain’s current Organic Law 2/2010, of 3 March, on Sexual and Reproductive Health and the Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy. It will now be sent to the Spanish parliament for debate.

Within the draft is a package of proposals that will build on the 2010 law to strengthen women’s sexual and reproductive rights. The package proposes paid leave for women experiencing menstrual pain, a requirement that public facilities such as schools and prisons provide free menstrual products, and a plan to make birth control free of charge. Additionally, the measures promote more accessible abortion care by removing the requirement for 16 and 17-year-olds to obtain personal consent before an abortion and removing the law’s current mandatory three-day reflection period for women seeking an abortion.

Isabel Rodríguez, the Spanish government spokeswoman, described the reform as “a new step forward for women and for democracy in our country”.

Currently, menstrual leave is not offered in any country within Europe and is only offered in a few countries worldwide, including Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, and Zambia.

Spain’s current move forward for women’s rights comes just as the U.S. Supreme Court is discussing whether to reverse the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion nationwide.