Looking back over the past 100 years, the gradual liberalization of women's abortion rights worldwide has been a long process from the second half of the 20th century to the 21st century. In the last century, abortion being illegal was still very common. For example, in the Catholic country of Belgium, it wasn't until 1990 that the women's abortion law was passed, allowing women to voluntarily terminate their pregnancy within 12 weeks. To ensure the smooth passage of this bill, the then King of Belgium, Baudouin, arranged for the parliament to strip him of his powers as head of state for one day, so that the parliament could pass the bill directly, bypassing the king. The reason Baudouin himself was unwilling to personally sign this bill, aside from the influence of the Catholic Church, was a personal sorrowful experience that cast a lasting shadow over his and his beloved wife Fabiola's life. Yet, it was precisely this past that made their lifelong companionship so precious. So today, let's talk about the story of Baudouin and Fabiola.
