Madrid - The Spanish government will order abortion clinics to keep confidential the identities of women having abortions, Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega said Friday.

The government wanted to avoid cases like a recent investigation into alleged irregularities at a Madrid clinic, which prompted police to question women in their homes.

Abortion came under debate in Spain after clinics accused conservative regional authorities of staging "witch-hunts" against them by ordering unjustified inspections in Madrid and elsewhere.

About 100,000 women abort annually in Spain. The government is considering plans to liberalize the law to allow women to abort in the first months of pregnancy without giving a reason for the procedure. (dpa)