Overview

• The Ministry of Equality will present a bill to abolish prostitution to the Council of Ministers in September 2025 as part of its post-summer legislative agenda.
• This marks the PSOE’s third attempt since 2022 to outlaw sex work following stalled efforts to reform the penal code.
• The move was prompted by leaked audios of José Luis Ábalos and advisor Koldo García using demeaning language about women and prostitutes.
• Sex workers’ union Sindicato Otras accuses the government of exploiting their community as political scapegoats to divert scrutiny from the scandal.
• Public opinion polls show over 70% of Spaniards favor regulating prostitution with rights protections rather than full abolition, and the draft law will require a vote from Ábalos, now a deputy.