PARIS (AP) - France's lower house voted Friday to fully reimburse all abortions and to make contraception free for minors.
National medical insurance currently pays in full for abortions for minors and the poor, while other women are reimbursed for up to 80 percent of the procedure's cost, which can be as much as $580. Contraception is partially reimbursed.
The bill passed by the National Assembly would make all abortions free and would also pay for contraception for those between 15 and 18. It now goes to the Senate, where it is likely to pass.
"Women who want to stop an unwanted pregnancy have the right to be covered: The enactment of the right to choose to halt a pregnancy is an obligatory state service," the bill's language says.