Forced abortion woman asks court to grant rights to foetus

A FRENCH woman forced to have an abortion after a doctor’s mistake asked Europe’s top human rights court yesterday to consider granting rights to a foetus, in a case that could have implications across the continent.

Thi-Nho Vo went to the European Court of Human Rights after France's highest court overturned the doctor's conviction on a charge of involuntary homicide. The French court ruled that the foetus was not yet a human being entitled to the protection of criminal law. Abortion rights groups have filed arguments supporting the French position, warning that accepting a right to life for a foetus could make abortions illegal in all 45 countries that recognise the court's jurisdiction.

"Obviously we are concerned about its implications for abortion in this country and Europe as a whole," said Anne Weyman, chief executive of the Family Planning Association in Britain, which was granted permission to file submissions opposing the