Slovakia Lawmakers OK Abortion Amendment

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia, JULY 4, 2003 (Zenit.org).- Slovakia's Parliament approved an amendment to make abortion legal until the 24th week of pregnancy, a measure that has triggered the first debate on abortion since the Communist era, the Associated Press said.

Thursday's vote was 70-32, with 11 lawmakers abstaining. The bill now goes to Slovakia's president for consideration.

Fights over the measure shook the coalition government of Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda, who had just managed to unite conservative and liberal parties around the goal of joining the European Union. The Christian Democratic Movement demanded that Dzurinda oust the bill's supporters from the government if it becomes law.

ZENIT Daily dispatch - The World Seen from Rome
4. juli 2003