Biden, Meloni meet on sidelines of G7 summit

15/6/2024 8:09

        US President Joe Biden and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had a lot to talk about Friday when they met on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit, but one notable matter wasn't on the table: That's abortion, an issue that emerged as an unexpected friction point among the democracies gathered in Italy.
        
        Meloni's right-wing government this week worked to water down references to abortion in the final statement issued by all the G7 nations at the end of the summit, prompting a disagreement between nations over language in the final draft of their shared commitments. That is according to two senior U.S. officials, a senior European Union official and two other officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to talk about the discussions over the statement that were not made public.
        
        The final statement, released Friday, omits the word "abortion" but does reference the need to promote "reproductive health and rights."