Madrid (Spain), 7 April (LaPresse) – The Spanish Council of Ministers has approved the draft reform of Article 43 of the Constitution, which enshrines the right to voluntary termination of pregnancy. The text will now be submitted to Parliament. Pedro Sánchez’s government had initiated the process to enshrine abortion in the Constitution last October, subsequently sending the proposal to the Council of State, which made some amendments to the text. The new text was therefore given the green light today by the Council of Ministers. The reform adds a new paragraph to Article 43 of the Constitution, which reads: ‘Public authorities shall guarantee the exercise of a woman’s right to voluntary termination of pregnancy under conditions of genuine and effective equality, with all the benefits and services necessary for such exercise.’ ‘Today is an important day for Spanish democracy,’ said Equality Minister Ana Redondo at a press conference following the Council of Ministers meeting. The reform will now be examined by Parliament. For the reform to be approved, a three-fifths majority is required in both the Congress and the Senate. In the event of disagreement, a joint Congress-Senate committee will be set up to propose a new text, which will then be put to a vote again. If this fails, the text may be approved by a two-thirds majority in the Congress and an absolute majority in the Senate.