Abortion on demand is officially illegal, with four exceptions: a woman has conceived after being raped, is psychologically unfit to bear the child, is physically unfit to bear the child, or carries a severely impaired foetus.

However, as is often the case in countries that have ‘strict’ abortion laws, the reality is very different. The potential for doctors to exploit loopholes on the second of those conditions means that abortion is very common in Spain. And because elective abortions are officially banned, there are only vague parameters governing when a termination should or shouldn’t take place. As a result, there has been much coverage of the city as a focus of ‘abortion tourism’ from countries with supposedly more liberal laws. One unscrupulous clinic hit the UK press in 2004, for offering abortions to British women at very advanced stages in pregnancy.

If you need an abortion, you must approach a private clinic, as none are carried out in public centres. Fees can range from €300 to €500. If you have public health cover, you can get free advice from your GP or from the family planning centre.