“Rosaries out of our ovaries!” (“¡Fuera los rosarios de nuestros ovarios!”)

As I write this post, a fierce social argument is raging in Spain. Well, the truth is, after six years of brutal economic crisis and all that comes with it: unemployment (26%, rising to 57% for the under 25's), massive cuts to health, education, social services and pensions, increasing homelessness, etc, it’s not nearly the only one. But I wonder if this one might eclipse all others in it's potential for divisiveness. And it has nothing to do with the economy. 

Spain's Cabinet - el Consejo de Ministros - has recently approved a new abortion Bill. If passed into law, it will not only remove the free choice that women here have had since 2010 to abort in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, but also make it harder for them to have an abortion than it was back in 1985, when Spain's first abortion reform was introduced following the dictatorship.

The new Bill recriminalises abortion in all circumstances except two: 1) in the case of rape and 2) where it can be proven (by two doctors or psychologists) the pregnancy will cause serious physical or psychological harm to the mother. 

In the 1985 reform there was also a third exception: malformation of the foetus. This is not in the new Bill, which is one of the reasons why there is so much opposition to it. 

Other arguments against it are that it will push woman back into the dark-old-days of backyard abortions and the risks that go along with that; an increase in inequality amongst Spanish woman as those who can afford it will simply go to Portugal, France or the UK to abort (which they used to do en-masse); or the conversion of doctors and psychologists into the moral guardians of Spanish women.

All these are important and valid reasons for opposition to the Bill, but in my opinion, they are not the core reason why this Bill has the potential to be so divisive.

The Spanish are very proud of the way their country has modernised (industrially, politically and socially) in the 30-odd years since the end of Franco’s dictatorship. These gains many Spaniards feel where very hard fought and so the idea of going backwards is abhorrent to them.

Furthermore, we’re talking about abortion, so it’s intrinsically linked women and their place in society. Back in the Franco’s day, a woman’s place was in the home, “cómo Diós manda” ("as God commands"). Women could not even open a bank account or apply for a passport without the permission of their husband (or if she didn’t have one of those, her oldest male relative). 

So you can imagine how many women here now feel about being told they are going to lose a right they currently hold to make decisions about their own bodies. 

Also, as the title to this post suggests (it’s one of the catch-phrases being used in demonstrations against the Bill), there is the Church. Although the connection of the Church to power in Spain goes back much further than the dictatorship (just think about the Inquisition), in Franco’s Spain, the Church was both protected by the State and its great defender. Franco named his form of government “National Catholicism”, thus cementing the Church’s undeniable connection with the State.

Spain’s democratic constitution of 1982 separated Church and State, so many Spaniards feel that this Bill is a concession by the government to the Church, which threatens that separation.

So why do I wonder if this fear - and anger -  of going backwards (in rights and as a society) has the potential to trump the divisiveness resulting from the economic measures the government has put in place to combat the “Great Recession”?

Don’t get me wrong, there is great opposition to the government’s spending cuts (in 2013 alone there were 25,461 recorded demonstrations in Spain, mostly to do with these cuts) but it seems to me that a lot of people are still prepared to give the government the benefit of the doubt that they are essential to get the economy back on track.

But the abortion Bill is not about the economy. For a great many Spaniards it is about cutting a personal liberty that will take their society more than thirty years into the past. And in that, they’re not prepared to give the government the benefit of the doubt.

Some demonstrators’ slogans, L-R: “Vagina armed, vagina respected”. Actually the word “coño” is more akin to our C-word. but it is not nearly as offensive in Spanish. In fact, the Speaker of Parliament here has been known to use it from time-to-time when trying to cool down the House during the more fiery debates. “Illegal abortion = the dealth of justice & equality”. “Take your rosaries out of our ovaries”.

Time flies (El tiempo vuela)...

With seven years in Spain fast approaching - which is bloody hard to believe - I've decided it's high-time that I write some of it down. 

Back when I first landed here, Spain was considered by many to be at the forefront of social progressiveness in the "Old Continent". This was thanks to its recent legalisation of gay marriage and adoption, the steps it was taking to tackle domestic violence and it's actions on the universal justice stage, amongst other advances.

To my extranjero's (foreigner's) eyes, it was unbelievably liberal. Madrid's gay Pride parade was one of Europe's biggest (and was basically a five day non-stop street party); at any other time, EVERYBODY seemed to be out and about at all hours eating, drinking and enjoying themselves and for goodness sake, hard-core porn was on free-to-air tele late at night and in full view at the news kiosks along Barcelona's famous Ramblas! (Although I guess this was just a bit too much as the porn disappeared from these places some years ago.)

I was astounded. Wasn't Spain still to celebrate just 30 years of democracy after 40 years of a right-wing dictatorship based on a system of government called "National Catholicism"?

I wouldn't say it was a complete illusion. 

But two big factors were playing an important role in my initial impression of Spain: 1) the year was 2006 and Spain was riding high on an economic boom fueled by a massive influx of European money and even bigger real estate bubble and 2) my extranjero's eyes and ears had not yet attuned themselves to that far less liberal side of the country that was ever-present, but perhaps muted somewhat by economic boom and the popularity of the very progressive government at the time. 

Also (and possibly rather importantly) I expect I arrived with a somewhat skewed impression of the country as I was (and still am) a fan of Pedro Almodóvar's films, with his outrageous characters and even more outrageous themes.

Now that boom has turned to bust (five long years of it), Europe has fervently embraced austerity, the government has changed to one with far less socially progressive views and the years have removed some of the rose tints from my extranjero's eyes, I'm seeing Spain from what I think is a far more realistic perspective. 

Don't get me wrong; I still think this is remarkable country and the Spanish amazing in their aptitude for putting things into perspective and getting on with the business of living - generally with an astounding positivity and, yes, fervour for fun.

But Spain is much more than just paella, parties and playa (beach) - although I must admit I've enjoyed my share of all three since I've lived here - and so in this space I want to write about all aspects of living in this country: the frivolous, the everyday, the social, the political, the good, the not-so-good and whatever might come in between. 

Of course though, always from the perspective of an extranjero.