By voting 166 votes against 152, the Senate adopted an amendment proposed by the senator from La Manche, Philippe Bas (Les Républicains), aiming to include in the Constitution, article 34, the “freedom of women” to resort to voluntary termination of pregnancy (IVG).
The text adopted by the Senate and its implications
The Senate vote was obtained despite theopposition from right-wing senators. The formula adopted abandons the notion of “right”, defended by the left and aims to complete article 34 with this sentence:
“The law determines the conditions under which a woman’s freedom to terminate her pregnancy is exercised”.
According to Philippe Bas, this writing formalizes in the fundamental law a freedom already recognized by the Constitutional Council in 2001 and would preserve the possibility of developing the initial project.
The initial one-sentence proposal was deemed “poorly drafted” and replaced by the Senate. It must still be validated by the deputies to be submitted to referendum. All the political actors want this to be a government bill in order to avoid a referendum.
A major change for the Senate
The Senate vote is a major change for the latter. Indeed, although it is mainly formed by right-wing members, they have nevertheless chosen to support a measure which represents above all a step forward towards more autonomy for women.
There is still a lot to be done to ensure that women have full access to services, but this nevertheless represents a certain and significant progress in women’s rights.
What future for this proposal?
To enter into force, the amendment passed in the Senate must be adopted by deputies and senators so that its wording remains unchanged. Once this is done, it will have to be validated by referendum or else, if it is accepted as a government bill, it will not need to be submitted to referendum.
What to remember?
The vote of the Senate marks a big step towards the sanctification of fundamental rights for women in France. It now remains for Parliament to find common ground on a common wording before this text can actually be approved by referendum or not.