In a historic moment, French lawmakers approved a bill that will enshrine the right to an abortion in the Constitution of France in a joint session of Parliament at the Palace of Versailles.
On Monday, the bill was approved in an overwhelming 780-72 vote, and in response to this nearly the whole joint session stood in a long-standing ovation.
There were celebratory scenes across the country as women’s rights activists applauded the measure promised by President Emmanuel Macron following a rollback of abortion rights in court rulings in the United States.
The decision makes France the first country in the world to provide direct protection for terminating a pregnancy under its basic law.
The Houses of Parliament, as well as the National Assembly and the Senate, have already adopted a bill to amend Article 34 of the Constitution, which guarantees a woman’s right to an abortion.
The head of the lower house of Parliament, Yael Braun-Pivet, said that France is at the forefront.
She added that she is proud of this Congress, which will say that the right to get an abortion will now be part of our basic law.
Earlier, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal had said: “We’re sending a message to all women: your bodAntiy belongs to you, and no one can decide for you.”
In 2022, the US Supreme Court’s decision to reverse the Roe v. Wade ruling that guaranteed women’s access to abortion prompted activists in France to push for the country to distinctly protect the right in its basic law.
According to AFP News Agency, the introduction to the French legislation says, “Unfortunately, this event is not isolated: in many countries, even in Europe, there are currents of opinion that seek to hinder at any cost the freedom of women to terminate their pregnancy if they wish”.
The decision also faced criticism from anti-abortion groups and far-right leaders, including Marine Le Pen. Le Pen said that Macron was using the legislation to score political points. Le Pen added, “We will vote to include it in the constitution because we have no problem with that”. But it was an exaggeration to call it a historic step because no one is putting the right to abortion at risk in France.
Since 1974, women have had the legal right to abortion in France.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Komal Bhoi/MSM)
References:
Agence France Presse (https://www.afp.com/en)