.- A law, legalizing abortion in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, went into effect in Portugal on Sunday.
Women who choose to abort will have to go through a compulsory medical appointment to be properly informed about the consequences of abortion, reported Reuters.
The country held a referendum on the legalization of abortion in February. The referendum was invalid because of the low turnout but, of those who voted, 59 percent wanted to lift the ban. That led the ruling Socialist Party in parliament to vote in favor of legalizing abortion.
According to Reuters, Portuguese media reported that at least nine regional hospitals will not offer abortions because the doctors there refuse to perform them.
