San Marino voters decide whether to decriminalize abortion

Voters in the tiny republic of San Marino are voting on whether to decriminalize abortion

ROME -- Voters in San Marino, a tiny republic surrounded by Italy, voted Sunday whether to decriminalize abortion, with the Roman Catholic Church firmly opposed and the “yes” camp hoping to make the procedure legal in some circumstances.

The ballot proposal calls for abortion to be made legal in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and beyond then if the woman’s life is in danger or if her physical or psychological health are at risk because of fetal anomalies or malformations.

Women in San Marino seeking an abortion usually go to neighboring Italy, a similarly Catholic country which legalized the procedure in 1978. But proponents of the referendum say that puts an undue financial burden on them and penalizes women who have been raped.

Opponents argue that in San Marino even minors can already receive free contraception at pharmacies, including the so-called morning-after pill.