France

France to Enshrine Abortion Rights in Constitution

Published

9 months ago

March 4, 2024

France is set to make history as the first country to protect abortion rights in its constitution explicitly. On Monday, 925 members of the National Assembly and the Senate will gather in Versailles to vote on amending Article 34 of the constitution, ensuring “the freedom of women to have access to an abortion.”

RFI reports that three-fifths of these members must vote in favour of the amendment for it to pass, a result expected to make France the sole nation to safeguard the right to terminate a pregnancy in its fundamental law.

The proposed change comes in response to the recent rollback of abortion rights in the United States following the Supreme Court’s overturning of the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling. In light of this, the French government argues that constitutional protection is necessary to secure women’s reproductive freedoms.

After being adopted by the Senate last Wednesday, the amendment has already cleared a significant hurdle, drawing praise from elected officials and NGOs. Planned Parenthood hailed it as “a message of hope to feminists worldwide,” while MP Mathilde Panot described the moment as “writing history.”

Activist group Osez le Féminisme celebrated the move as “a victory for feminists and all women who want to guarantee the right to control their body.” Alice Bordaçarre from the International Federation of Human Rights emphasized the importance of enshrining abortion rights in the constitution to shield them from potential attacks by anti-abortion groups.

While abortion has been legal in France since 1975 under the Veil Act, there were concerns that successive governments could weaken the law. By establishing it as a constitutional right, advocates believe it will be safeguarded from political interference and fluctuations in public opinion.

As the debate continues, the significance of protecting women’s rights is underscored, with voices like Bordaçarre warning against the growing influence of conservative and pro-life movements both in France and internationally.