( CNN ) -- Spain 's controversial , and highly restrictive , new abortion law is now before Parliament , with approval looming . If passed this would mean that abortions will be permitted in only two circumstances : rape , and risk of `` lasting harm '' to the mother 's health . The move would effectively reverse the abortion law of 2010 , which permitted abortion on request in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy , and up to 22 weeks where there was serious risk of fetal anomaly . Contrasting view : 'No unborn child is unworthy of legal protection ' The widespread opposition , both within Spain and elsewhere in Europe , indicates that the Popular Party 's interest in the abortion law is not underwritten by a wider public and political desire to restrict abortion access . Throughout most countries in the developed world , with notable exceptions such as the Republic of Ireland , women 's need for abortion is recognized by law and provided for through services , which are often publicly funded . But the Spanish situation provides a shocking reminder of how quickly things can change in a country -- and the extreme consequences this can have for women . Back in 2004 , a British newspaper wrongly accused British Pregnancy Advisory Service ( BPAS ) of referring women to Spain , when they were `` too late '' to have an abortion in Britain . The reality was that doctors in Spain were , at that time , legally able to provide abortions at later gestations than the 24-week `` time limit '' permitted by British law . In the extremely rare cases where women were desperate to access abortion late in pregnancy , they would sometimes find that only a Spanish clinic was able to help them . The Spanish law of 2010 restricted abortions in later gestations , but did establish abortion on request earlier in pregnancy . Yet barely five years on , Spanish women find themselves effectively deprived of any ability to access abortion at any gestation . Will this mean that their need for abortion goes away ? Of course not . What it means is that Spanish women , like Irish women , will be forced to travel for care to Britain and other European countries . The Irish experience shows with heartbreaking clarity that when a nation makes abortion illegal , it does not prevent women 's need for abortion , or their determination to access safe procedures . Outlawing abortion simply sends the issue overseas , increasing the financial and emotional cost to women and , of course , the gestation at which they are able to access a termination . Politicians in the 21st century must accept that abortion is a necessary back-up to contraception , and that it should be a woman 's private and personal decision that she is able to make according to what she thinks is best for her and her family . It is a travesty that abortion is included in the criminal statute in so many countries -- including Britain . As a moral matter it should be for a woman to decide in line with her values ; she should be allowed to take responsibility for life and choose what she thinks is best . As a medical matter , if should be regulated like any other medical procedure . This point was put very nicely by the London Times in December 2013 , in a leading article challenging the new Spanish law . `` To bring the criminal law into an issue of women 's health and conscientious reflection is an abuse of government power , '' argued this establishment newspaper . `` A constitutional society does not intrude into areas of personal judgment that most citizens consider fall within the authority of the family . Social engineering is the practice of autocratic governments . '' Spain is heading towards a self-made mess . We know from the situation in the Republic of Ireland , and Northern Ireland , what the consequences of its new law are likely to be . The lesson for other governments is that they should stay out of women 's personal decisions . `` Nosotras Decidimos , '' proclaim the Spanish women 's organizations protesting against their inhumane new law -- `` We Decide . '' Throughout Europe , organizations such as BPAS will be standing behind them , and providing the services that these women need . But how much better it would be if they could access this care at home - as , until so recently , they could . Read more : 2009 -- Spanish Parliament approves abortion bill . The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ann Furedi .
Britain 's proposed abortion law would restrict abortion to rape victims or women who would suffer lasting harm . It would effectively reverse a the first 14 weeks law allowing abortion on request for 2010 . Ann Furedi says British woman would have to travel to other countries for terminations . Furedi says women should be able to make a decision in line with their own moral values .