France has become the first country in the world whose constitution includes the right to abortion.
Parliament passed an amendment to the 1958 constitution to give women “guaranteed freedom” to have abortions. It is the 25th amendment to the basic document of modern France and the first since 2008.
Opinion polls show that about 85% of French people support changes to the constitution.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Atal said ahead of the vote in parliament that the right to abortion remained at risk and “at the mercy of decision-makers”. “I say to women both inside and outside our country: An era of hope is beginning,” Atal told the French parliamentary congress in Versailles.
French President Emmanuel Macron promised to include the right to abortion in the constitution last March. It was thought to be a reaction to restrictions on abortion rights in the US.
Critics say the constitutional amendment is unnecessary and accuse the president of trying to use the abortion issue to boost his popularity among the left.
In France, the right to abortion has been enshrined in law since 1975. Since then, the law has been updated nine times, each time with the goal of expanding access to abortion.
France’s Constitutional Council – the body that decides on the constitutionality of laws – has never raised objections. In its 2001 decision, the Council referred to the concept of freedom contained in the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man, which is technically part of the constitution. This is why many lawyers argue that the right to an abortion is already a constitutional right.
Enshrining the right to abortion in the French constitution was welcomed by many.
“At the moment of the vote, the Eiffel Tower should shine and that will be a message to the world. It is an important message to the world,” said an activist with the women’s rights organization Fondation des Femmes. “These emotions that fill us today and really charge us, we want to convey to other women and feminists in the world who are fighting for similar rights,” she added.
2024-03-04 19:41:09
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