Spain's abortion rate soars

The annual number of abortions in Spain has nearly doubled in the last decade, prompting calls for improved sex education in schools.

About 85,000 Spanish women terminated their pregnancies in 2004, compared with 49,000 in 1995, according to the ministry of health. Some 15% were teenagers.

"We have to get rid of the taboos about sexual education," said Pilar Triguero of Ceapa, a national federation of 12,500 parent-teacher associations. "The state-funded schools tiptoe around the subject, and they don't even have an established curriculum. What is taught depends on the discretion of each teacher."

The abortion rate among women between the ages of 20 and 29 - who were presumably aware of contraception - had also doubled, said Margarita Delgado, a demographer with the Science Research Council in Madrid. Many were married or had stable partners.

Ms Delgado said the rise in abortions among these women was partly due to precarious economic conditions. Female workers hold the bulk of temporary contracts, and many wait until they have a permanent post to have children for fear that a pregnancy will dash their chances of a job or promotion, she said. Spain's late business hours make it hard for women to juggle jobs and family and few businesses offer part-time positions. State support for families is among the lowest in the EU, Ms Delgado said.

"The business culture is hostile," she said. "We need a change in mentality."