San Marino women’s rights groups hail abortion vote

The republic has become the latest Catholic state to legalise the procedure.

Activists in San Marino celebrate the referendum result (Antonio Calanni/AP)

By Nicole Winfield and Francesco Fedeli, Associated Press

Women’s rights activists in San Marino, a republic of 33,000 people in central Italy, have welcomed the microstate’s decision to legalise abortion.

The republic has become the latest Catholic state to support making abortion legal in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, with 77% of the 14,384 votes cast on Sunday in support of this position.