San Marino women’s rights groups hail abortion vote

By NICOLE WINFIELD and FRANCESCO FEDELI
Associated Press

SAN MARINO (AP) — Women’s rights activists are cheering after San Marino, a tiny republic of 33,000 people nestled in central Italy, became the latest Catholic state to legalize abortion. They say the overwhelming “yes” vote would bring the microstate into the 21st century.  Some 77% of votes cast Sunday favored making abortion legal in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Abortion would also be legal beyond that point if the woman’s life is in danger or if her physical or psychological health is at risk because of fetal anomalies or malformations. Valentina Rossi, member of the Union of Sammarinese Women, said the result showed that voters were able to take a decision the republic’s politicians had refused to take for decades.