Current:Home > ScamsSpain amends its constitution to replace term ‘handicapped’ with ‘persons with a disability’-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Spain amends its constitution to replace term ‘handicapped’ with ‘persons with a disability’
View Date:2024-12-24 00:08:13
MADRID (AP) — Spain’s Parliament voted on Thursday to amend the country’s constitution for the third time in its history, removing the term “handicapped” and replacing it with “persons with a disability.”
The change has long been a demand of people with disabilities in Spain. The amendment to Article 49 also added that “public administrations will pursue policies that guarantee the complete autonomy and social inclusion of people with disabilities.”
The two largest parties, the ruling Socialist Party and the conservative opposition Popular Party, agreed to the change in a rare moment of consensus.
The amendment was also backed by all the other, smaller parties represented in the chamber, except for the far-right Vox party. It passed by a vote of 312 to 32. It required the support of three-fifths of the Parliament’s lower chamber and must also be passed by the Senate, with the same margin.
“Today is a great day for our democracy,” said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who asked for forgiveness in name of the country for having taken so long to make the change.
“We are paying off a moral debt that we have had with over 4 million of our fellow citizens,” he said.
Only two prior amendments have been made to Spain’s 1978 Constitution, which marked the return to democracy after the dictatorship of Gen. Francisco Franco.
The first amendment, in 1992, allowed citizens of other European Union member states to run as candidates in municipal elections. The second, in 2011, was to meet EU rules on public deficits amid the eurozone’s debt crisis.
Spain’s Socialists and conservatives have been extremely wary of amending the Constitution for fear that smaller parties could use the process to make deeper changes to the constitutional monarchy or help the separatist aspirations of the Catalonia and Basque Country regions.
One example is the order of royal succession, to change it from the first-born male heir of the monarch to just the first-born child. Despite a widespread consensus, Spanish lawmakers have made no credible attempt to amend the order in the Constitution, for fears that republican left-wing parties could push for a referendum on the future of the monarchy.
The current heir to the throne is Princess Leonor, the eldest of the two daughters born to King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia.
veryGood! (22)
Related
- Diamond Sports Group will offer single-game pricing to stream NBA and NHL games starting next month
- Margaret Qualley Reveals Why Husband Jack Antonoff Lied to Her “First Crush” Adam Sandler
- NFL Week 3 overreactions: Commanders are back, Vikings Super Bowl bound
- Passenger killed when gunman hijacks city bus, leads police on chase through downtown Los Angeles
- Mike Tomlin's widely questioned QB switch to Russell Wilson has quieted Steelers' critics
- Steelworkers lose arbitration case against US Steel in their bid to derail sale to Nippon
- Democrats try to censure Rep. Clay Higgins for slandering Haitians in social media post
- Tarek El Moussa Shares Update on Ex Christina Hall Amid Divorce
- Kraft Heinz stops serving school-designed Lunchables because of low demand
- Alabama man declared 'mentally ill' faces execution by method witnesses called 'horrific'
Ranking
- IAT Community Introduce
- 1 charged after St. Louis police officer hit and killed responding to crash
- Tropical Weather Latest: Swaths of Mexico and Florida under hurricane warnings as Helene strengthens
- Former Detroit-area mayor pleads guilty in scheme to cash in on land deal
- Lou Donaldson, jazz saxophonist who blended many influences, dead at 98
- Oklahoma Gov. Stitt returns to work after getting stent in blocked artery
- Milwaukee-area stolen Virgin Mary statue found and returned to church
- Wisconsin rock climber dies after fall inside Devils Tower National Monument
Recommendation
-
Saving for retirement? How to account for Social Security benefits
-
New 'Wuthering Heights' film casting sparks backlash, accusations of whitewashing
-
Sara Foster Addresses Tommy Haas Breakup Rumors
-
Whoopi Goldberg Defends Taylor Swift From NFL Fans Blaming Singer for Travis Kelce's Performance
-
The charming Russian scene-stealers of 'Anora' are also real-life best friends
-
Wisconsin mayor carts away absentee ballot drop box, says he did nothing wrong
-
Amy Poehler reacts to 'Inside Out 2' being Beyoncé's top movie in 2024
-
Coca-Cola Spiced pulled from shelves less than a year after drink's release