French parliament on Monday voted to anchor the right to abortion in the constitution. France is the first country in the world to offer explicit protection for terminating a pregnancy in its basic law.
Abortions up to the 10th week of pregnancy have been allowed in France since 1975. Vatican repeated its opposition to abortion, echoing concerns already raised by French Catholic bishops. Conservative counter-campaigns are unraveling global advances in women's rights, activists and experts warned ahead of International Women's Day on March 8.