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In the coming weeks, Spain’s Ministry of Health is planning a major overhaul which will focus, among other things, on reforming the rules around smoking and vaping and the creation of a registry of abortion objectors.

 

Several years in the works, the registry of conscientious objectors to pregnancy termination aims to prevent entire hospital units from declaring themselves objectors and refusing to perform abortions.

 

According to Health Minister Mónica García, the registry will ensure that “no community can rely on this legal loophole” to deny women access to safe and legal abortions in public health.

 

This move comes as a response to the fact that 81.4% of abortions performed in 2023 were carried out in private centres, despite the reform of the law aimed at protecting abortion provision in public health. The government is determined to take steps to ensure that women have access to this service in public health, and the registry is seen as a key measure in achieving this goal.

 

 

In addition to the registry, the government has also announced plans to ban disposable electronic cigarettes, more commonly known as vapes, flavourings in vapes and promote generic packaging on conventional cigarette and tobacco packets.

 

These measures are part of the Anti-Tobacco Plan, which aims to limit products that represent a ‘gateway’ to the world of tobacco and related products for young people.

 

The government has also announced plans to regulate the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes, with a draft regulation expected to be published for public hearing soon.

 

Controversially, the draft includes a “recommendation” that smoking not be allowed in vehicles carrying children or pregnant women. However, the government team has acknowledged that proposals along these lines have been met with fierce opposition in the past and that an all-out ban would be very difficult to enforce.

 

 

In a further move to strengthen primary care, the government has announced plans to incorporate podiatrists into health centres. The administration also wants to finance glasses and contact lenses for vulnerable children, but this will need to wait until the 2025 budget is approved.

 

This measure is seen as a key step in improving access to health services for vulnerable populations.

 

 

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