Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti said: “This evening, the Senate wrote a new page in the field of women’s rights, and this vote is historic.” “We will be the first country in the world to enshrine in the constitution this freedom for women to control their bodies. This vote, basically, repeats once again for those who do not yet know that women in our country are free. This vote confirms how much we all adhere to this freedom.”
The proposed change to the French Constitution is a direct response to the US Supreme Court's ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.
Presenting the French bill in plain language did not hesitate to point to current events in the United States as the motivating factor. Under the question “Why this text?”, it stated the following: “In the United States, the right to abortion was called into question at the federal level by a Supreme Court decision dated June 24, 2022. In other countries, particularly in Europe, there are certain movements that intend to Restricting the right to abortion and contraception.”
The French public overwhelmingly supports abortion rights and abortion is legal for any reason up to the 14th week of pregnancy. But the US court's decision, and the state ban that followed, encouraged activists in France and abroad to further protect their rights.
In Britain, Labor MP Diana Johnson is seeking to hold a vote in Parliament next month that could lead to the decriminalization of abortion. She has spoken publicly about the “stark message” sent by the US Supreme Court's decision.
Activists in France sought constitutional change because abortion rights “are under threat all over the world and in Europe, when far-right governments are elected,” said Mathilde Philippe Guy, a law professor at Jean Moulin Lyon 3 University.
He added: “Everyone knows that the government can change in France and that the next elections may witness a victory [Marine] Le Pen. She is not against abortion, but her party is traditionally against it, and far-right movements are traditionally against the right to abortion. So, it's not a problem now, but it's a reaction to what happened to the United States and to the far-right political elections in Europe.
Poland has been the most prominent example of a country in Europe moving to further restrict abortion, and the new centrist government there faces challenges as it tries to overturn the near-total ban.
Abortion activists are closely monitoring efforts in France.
Last month, lawmakers in the National Assembly, the lower house of the French parliament, voted 493 to 30 in favor of a proposal by President Emmanuel Macron's government.
But while the vote in the Assembly benefited from the support of Macron's centrist minority coalition and left-wing opposition parties, approval in the Senate, where lawmakers from the right have more power, has always been more difficult.
Some senators expressed concerns about the wording of the bill. In the 2022 debate, the House preferred the term “right,” while the Senate preferred the term “liberty.” The activists said that the “right” to abortion is a stronger term than “freedom” because it would force the state to provide the necessary measures for abortion. The government supported the term “guaranteed freedom,” which seemed like a compromise. This was the language the Senate supported on Wednesday.
He added: “The Senate is taking a decisive step that I welcome.” Macron saidAnnouncing the extraordinary conference on Monday. He reiterated an earlier pledge: “I am committed to making women's freedom to have an abortion irreversible by enshrining it in the Constitution.”
Analysts said it was very likely that the special conference would support the proposal. “In politics, you never know. But it will be a big surprise if the text is not adopted,” Philip Guy said.
If it wasn't for ShulmanAmnesty International's advocacy officer in Paris posted a photo of the uterus with the French flag and wrote on X, “A historic opportunity for France to put itself on the side of women and hope for those defending the right to abortion around the world.” the world.”
