Spanish Queen Shock

About to celebrate her 70th birthday, Queen Sofia of Spain has stirred controversy for her first public comments after three years of silence. Her thoughts were published in a book called La Reina Muy de Cerca (The Queen Up Close) written by the journalist Pilar Urbano and published this week. Up until now, nobody knew what Her Majesty thought about abortion, religion, gay marriage (which is now legal in Spain), and euthanasia. The book suggests that she advocates teaching Catholicism in schools; is against gay marriage and gay parades; and is staunchly anti-abortion. Gay rights and women's groups have expressed outraged. The monarchy is trying to reduce the damage, claiming the Queen’s words were taken out of context.