The amendment

Opposition deputies joined forces with the junior governing Alliance of a New Citizen (ANO) party on 2 July to approve an amendment that would ease abortion restrictions in specific cases, TASR and CTK reported. Seventy of the 132 lawmakers present backed the bill, while 32 opposed it, 11 abstained, and 19 deputies did not participate in the vote. The amendment extends the permissible period for an abortion in cases when the fetus has genetic defects from the 12th to the 24th week of pregnancy. It was proposed by the ANO party despite vehement opposition from within the four-party coalition government. President Rudolf Schuster will study the bill thoroughly before deciding whether to sign it into law, TASR quoted his spokesman as saying. The president has 15 days to act on legislation under Slovak law. Overriding a presidential veto would require at least 76 votes in the 150-seat chamber.