Emma Bonino, leader of abortion and divorce battles that changed Italy, dies aged 78, her party says

Emma Bonino died at age 78; her party +Europa announced her death

She led Radical Party campaigns that legalized abortion and divorce in 1970s Italy against Vatican objections

She served as European Commissioner under Premier Silvio Berlusconi starting in 1995

She was foreign minister, trade minister and EU affairs minister in Italian center-left governments in the 2000s and 2010s

1974: Bonino, at 26, became pregnant and had an illegal abortion · 1975: She co-founded the Information Center for Sterilization and Abortion · 1976: She was elected to the Italian parliament for the Radical Party · 1978: Abortion was legalized in Italy · 1995: Berlusconi offered her a seat as European Commissioner · June 1999: She headed Lista Bonino, winning 8.5% of the vote in European elections · January 2015: She announced her lung cancer diagnosis on Radio Radicale · 2017: She became leader of +Europa ahead of the 2018 Italian general election

78 age at death · 1948 birth year · 8.5% vote share · 1978 year abortion legalized · 26 age at abortion