Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the main barriers to abortion care that women face in Spain and women's experiences travelling across regions to seek abortion care, based on the preliminary results of an innovative, 5-year, mixed-method research study, funded by the European Research Council.

Paper long abstract:

In Spain abortion is a woman's right and a NHS-funded healthcare service, according to the 2010 law on sexual and reproductive health. However, for a number of reasons, inequalities in access to abortion care exist among women in Spain, particularly according to their region of residence. As a result, a substantial number of women travel each year across regions for abortion care or abortion related procedures. Travelling requires the added burden of making practical arrangements, requiring money and time, adding additional barriers to abortion services and potentially delaying the procedure.

This paper explores the main barriers to abortion care that women face in Spain and women's experiences travelling across regions to seek abortion care, based on the preliminary results of an innovative, 5-year, mixed-method research study, funded by the European Research Council.

This paper will discuss the abortion law and the complex organization of abortion provision in Spain, focussing on the main legal, procedural and social barriers to access in different regions. We will then examine women's experiences with such barriers and with abortion-related travels across regions, as well as their knowledge of the law and of the services that promote and support reproductive rights and health in Spain.