title: Instruction No. 3/1986, 1 December 1986.
abstract: This Instruction provides advice on how prosecutors should handle men and women who have appeared in different courts of first instance claiming to have participated in abortions. It states that in a majority of cases these claims are unfounded and are motivated by a desire to decriminalize the crime of abortion. With this in mind, it advises prosecutors to rely on factual data such as whether the self-denunciations are collective without specification of place, time, or persons involved; the age and sex of the persons claiming to have participated in abortions; and written and oral evidence, particularly medical certificates proving pregnancy or a medical record in which it is stated that a woman was treated who was the object of abortion practices. The Instruction concludes by suggesting that the lodging of false claims to have participated in an abortion may constitute a crime under Article 338 of the Penal Code.
mesh_terms: D000024:Abortion, Illegal; D000028:Abortion, Induced; D003415:Crime; D019049:Developed Countries; D005060:Europe; D005193:Family Planning Services; D007878:Legislation as Topic; D011057:Politics; D011639:Public Opinion; D012940:Social Problems; D013030:Spain
keywords: Abortion, Illegal; Abortion, Induced; Crime--legal aspects; Developed Countries; Europe; Family Planning; Fertility Control, Postconception; Interest Groups; Laws And Statutes; Mediterranean Countries; Political Factors; Pro-choice Groups--legal aspects; Social Problems; Southern Europe; Spain