_WORLD WATCH______________________________
________________France_______________
Abortion law extended
No debate on broader legal framework
The French National Assembly has approved a new law loosening legal restrictions on abortion. The new law will allow a mother to procure an abortion on demand at any time during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy (the old law set the standard at 10 weeks). It will also eliminate parental control over the access of teenagers to abortion and contraception. (The legislation does stipulate that an adult must “be part of the process” in which the teenager chooses abortion, although the teen can choose any adult for that role.) The bill makes it a crime for anyone to impede a woman’s access to legal abortion. The legislation passed through the assembly without serious debate.