Reproductive Healthcare in Transition: Women Doctors and Abortion Services in Spain (1980s–1990s)

Abstract

This article examines the history of legal abortion in Spain through the experiences of women physicians and gynaecologists who provided abortions following a partial decriminalisation of the procedure in 1985. Through oral history interviews, contextualised through a range of primary sources, including mass media articles, medical literature, and government reports, I analyse the professional and activist trajectories of women doctors between the late 1970s and the late 1980s, a time when the Spanish healthcare system was undergoing significant legal and structural transformation. I argue that this first generation of women doctors faced with the possibility of providing legal abortion services, chose to do so due to their experiences and ideological beliefs. Diverse configurations of left-wing, social justice, and feminist ideals influenced their decisions to practice in hospitals or abortion clinics, as well as their professional and personal interests in, and long-term commitments to, abortion services.