Church in the World

Christian group forces closure of abortion clinic

Spain

An abortion clinic in Spain was closed this week following allegations by a Christian pressure group, e-Christians, about a number of clinics allegedly practising illegal terminations.

The Instituto CB Medical was shut down by authorities in Madrid after inspectors found "major irregularities in clinical histories" of patients which posed a "grave risk" to their health. Authorities said that a gynaecologist who had supposedly given permission for the abortions claimed he had not signed consent forms. In fact the abortions were carried out, said inspectors, by a former medical student.

The move comes two weeks after police raided four clinics in Barcelona following legal action launched by e-Christians, who claimed that illegal abortions were being carried out. Abortions can be carried out in Spain only up to the twenty-second week of pregnancy, and then only in cases of rape, if there is a risk to the mother's physical or mental health, or in cases of severe foetal malformation.

The investigation was launched by a magistrate in Barcelona in July after a complaint by e-Christians. The complaint followed a report by Danish television last year in which a reporter, who was 26 weeks pregnant, secretly filmed inside the Ginemedex clinic, one of the four clinics that were raided.

Six people have been charged in connection with the allegations. Among those arrested is the director of the CBM group, Carlos Morín, his wife and the directors of four clinics implicated in the case, TBC, Ginemedex and the Foundation Morín. All six face charges of allegedly "repeatedly practising voluntary abortions outside the legal time limits".