Russia's parliament has passed a new law limiting abortions.

The nation's abortion rate is among the highest in the world and is a major reason behind the country's population decline.

The new law, adopted Friday, forbids women to have an abortion after 12 weeks.

However, it makes an exception for women who say they can't afford a child, allowing them to have an abortion up to 22 weeks.

The law also requires women to wait seven days before having an abortion.

Parliament rejected restrictions proposed by the Russian Orthodox Church requiring married women to obtain a husband's consent.