Slovak parliamentarians have rejected legislation, the first of its kind in the European Union, requiring women seeking abortions to see images and hear the heartbeat of their unborn child first via ultrasound, after vigorous opposition from pro-choice EU politicians and lobby groups.

The bill, an amendment to Slovakia’s Healthcare Act, was tabled by three female MPs from the Slovak National Party (a participant in the ruling coalition), and would also have banned abortion advertising and obliged doctors to notify unwilling mothers of available state support, as well as doubling the mandatory waiting period from two to four days and providing sickness benefit for women wishing to conceal their pregnancies.The bill had the backing of the country’s influential Catholic Church.

However, it failed to secure a majority in the 150-seat lower house, winning just 59 votes to 24, with 40 abstentions, after vigorous opposition from pro-choice EU politicians and human rights groups, including Amnesty International.

Dunja Mijatovic, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, who said it could reduce “safe and legal abortions”.