Spain simplifies legal gender change and access to abortion from age 16

Spanish Minister of Equality Irene Montero at a rally in support of the bill on simplified gender change. Photo: afp.com

The Spanish Parliament has passed a package of laws that, among other things, allows people from the age of 16 to change the gender marker in their documents based solely on a personal declaration and to obtain abortions without parental consent, reports bbc.com.

Until now, the right to legally change one’s gender was limited to those with a documented diagnosis of “gender dysphoria” who had undergone two years of hormone therapy.

Under the new law, anyone wishing to change their “gender” need only notify the authorities and reconfirm their declaration after three months.

Speaking in the Spanish Congress before the vote, Minister of Equality Irene Montero stated: “Trans people are not ill – they are simply people.”

A simplified procedure for official gender change has already been introduced since 2014 in nine European countries. A similar bill is currently under consideration in Scotland.

As reported earlier, on February 1, 2023, the Finnish Parliament voted to amend legislation so that citizens aged 18 and older may legally change their gender based solely on a declaration.

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