France Constitutionalize Abortion

France becomes the first nation in history to enshrine abortion rights in its constitution

France is now the first nation in the world whose constitution expressly guarantees the right to an abortion.

The bill to grant women in France the right to an abortion was approved by lawmakers on Monday.

The country's 1958 constitution was to be amended by a vote of parliamentarians, securing women's “guaranteed freedom” to abort.

Standing ovations broke out in the Versailles parliament upon the announcement of the resounding 780-72 vote.

The action was hailed as “French pride” and sent a “universal message” by President Emmanuel Macron.

However, the Vatican and anti-abortion organizations have sharply criticized the move.

While abortion is legal in France as of 1975, surveys indicate that about 85% of respondents are in favor of changing the constitution to safeguard the right to terminate a pregnancy.

Furthermore, France is the first nation to expressly guarantee the right to an abortion, even though the constitutions of a number of other nations also protect reproductive rights.

It becomes the first since 2008 and the 25th amendment to the modern French Constitution.

“My Body My Choice” was displayed on the Eiffel Tower in Paris as a symbol of celebration after the vote.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal warned parliament that the right to an abortion was still “in danger” and “at the mercy of decision makers” prior to the vote.

“We're sending a message to all women: your body belongs to you and no one can decide for you,” he added.

Even though right-wing opposition in parliament did not materialize, President Macron has been charged with abusing the constitution for political purposes.

Critics claim the revision is needless rather than necessarily incorrect, and they charge the president of attempting to capitalize on the issue to strengthen his left-leaning reputation.

The goal of each of the nine updates to the law since 1975 has been to increase access.

The French Constitutional Council, which determines whether laws are constitutional, has never expressed doubt.

The council granted abortion permission in a 2001 decision, basing its decision on the definition of liberty found in the technically constitutional 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man.

A great deal of jurists argue that abortion was already protected by the constitution.

Recent events in the US, where the Supreme Court eliminated the right to an abortion in 2022, served as the impetus for the constitutional amendment. Millions of women's access to abortions will now be terminated if individual states decide to once more outlaw the procedure.

Many people are in favor of the French constitution's move to legalize abortion.

“This right (to abortion) has retreated in the United States. And so nothing authorised us to think that France was exempt from this risk,” said Laura Slimani, from the Fondation des Femmes rights group.

“There's a lot of emotion, as a feminist activist, also as a woman,” she said.

However, not everyone agrees with it; the Vatican has reiterated its opposition to abortion.

The Vatican organization expressed in a statement that “there can be no 'right' to take a human life,” echoing worries expressed by French Catholic bishops earlier.

It asked, “all governments and all religious traditions to do their best so that, in this phase of history, the protection of life becomes an absolute priority.”