Demonstrators take part in the anti-abortion march "Si a la vida" (Yes to life) on March 27, 2022 in Madrid. (Photo by Oscar del Pozo/AFP via Getty Images) MADRID (AP) - The Spanish government approved a draft bill Tuesday that widens abortion rights for teenagers and may make Spain the first country in Europe entitling workers to paid menstrual leave.The measures are part of a package of proposals that will be sent to the Spanish parliament for debate.
The package includes an extension of abortion rights, scrapping the requirement for 16- and 17-year-olds to obtain parental consent before terminating a pregnancy.The Spanish move comes just as the U.S.
Supreme Court appears poised to reverse that country's constitutional right to abortion, in place for nearly a half-century.RELATED: Senate abortion bill: Democrats' effort to secure Roe v.
Wade fails voteSpanish government spokeswoman Isabel Rodríguez said the proposals represented "a new step forward for women, a new step forward for democracy."The Spanish government also proposes giving workers who are experiencing period pain as much time off as they need, with the state social security system — not employers — paying for sick leave.