Bavarian Lawmakers Tighten Abortion Rules

After a marathon three-day debate, the Bavarian state parliament passed a law Wednesday that forces women to justify having an abortion and places restrictions on abortion doctors.

Bavaria, in southeast Germany, is a predominately Roman Catholic state run by the arch-conservative Christian Social Union, which has a majority in the state parliament.

While the new law is an effort to weaken federal law guaranteeing a woman’s right to have an abortion, nothing prevents Bavarians from crossing into neighboring states for the procedure.