The Constitutional Court (TC) has agreed to endorse the law approved in 2022 that penalizes harassment of women who go to clinics for voluntary termination of pregnancy with sentences of up to one year in prison.
As reported by the court of guarantees, the majority of the Plenary has supported the draft of the sentence drafted by the progressive wing magistrate María Luisa Balaguer, who defends that the norm is constitutional. For their part, the judges of the conservative wing Ricardo Enríquez, Enrique Arnaldo, Concepción Espejel and César Tolosa have announced a dissenting vote.
By adopting this decision, the progressive majority of the court has rejected the appeal presented by the Vox deputies against the single article of Organic Law 4/2022, of April 12, which modifies Organic Law 10/1995, of November 23, of the Penal Code, to penalize harassment of women who go to clinics for voluntary termination of pregnancy.
The party led by Santiago Abascal challenged the rule after having tried to stop it in parliament and after presenting – without success – amendments so that harassment of women who go to specialized abortion clinics is not punishable by prison sentences.
It was in February 2022 when Congress approved – with PP and Vox voting against – the organic law that punishes “annoying, offensive, intimidating or coercive acts” with prison sentences of three months to one year. “they undermine women’s freedom.”
The text also establishes that the courts may also impose a prohibition on going to certain places for periods of six months to three years, a point that has also been supported by the Plenary Session of the Court of Guarantees.
