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Family Planning
If you are looking for family planning services, look no further than your local public health clinic. As usual start with your family doctor, who is in charge of offering initial guidance and then ensuring you have the right papers to get what you need in the case you require a visit with a specialist.
Family planning services are aimed at women between the ages of 20 and 40 as well as those who have four or more children. Also high on the list of people in need of planning aid are women who have a physical condition that would make pregnancy a health risk or those who have a family history that includes genetically-inherited diseases.
In reality, family planning services cover much more than simply helping families plan whether or when they have children. They also deal with the controversial "day after" pill and work to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Family planning is also a source of sex education (and not only for young people!).
Abortion also falls under the family planning umbrella. In order to obtain a legal abortion in Spain a doctor must determine whether or not a pregnant woman meets the preliminary legal requirements. If so, she then needs to be examined physically and psychologically to further determine her legal situation. Once all requirements have been met, the case is then referred to a private network of clinics that have an agreement with the regional public health system to carry out abortions. This is due to the fact that doctors in the public system are not required to carry out the procedure in case it goes against their beliefs.
Finally, women's annual smear test also falls into the sphere of family planning as one of the goals is the early detection of cervical cancer. For more information, read about women's health.
