CAN THEY REALLY AFFORD FEWER SPANIARDS?:

Poll: Spaniards oppose abortion law reform plan (DANIEL WOOLLS, 6/01/09, Associated Press)

Nearly two-thirds of Spaniards oppose abortion law reform plans that would allow girls as young as 16 to terminate a pregnancy without their parents' consent, according to a poll released Monday.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero faces stiff opposition to the bill even among people who support his Socialist Party, the results of the Metroscopia survey published in the newspaper El Pais showed. The poll found that 56 percent of Socialist backers polled are against the proposal.

With 64 percent of people opposing the government's plans to let minors get abortions _ part of a broader reform to ease Spain's abortion law _ the poll suggested that Zapatero faces opposition that extends well beyond the conservative opposition and the Roman Catholic church.