A joint meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives voted 780 to 72 overwhelmingly in favor.
On the 4th (local time), AP and BBC reported that lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment specifying women’s right to abortion in the French Constitution. With this, France became the first country in the world to enshrine the right to abortion in its constitution.
On this day, the French Senate and House of Representatives passed the constitutional amendment by a vote of 780 to 72 at a joint meeting convened at the Palace of Versailles outside Paris. Abortion enjoys widespread support across most of the political spectrum in France and has been legal since 1975.
With this vote, France becomes the first country to have a constitutional right to abortion since the former Yugoslavia enshrined it in its 1974 constitution. Serbia’s 2006 constitution states that “everyone has the right to decide about reproduction.”
When the amendment specifying the right to abortion in the French Constitution was passed with overwhelming approval in the National Assembly on this day, a standing ovation erupted in the National Assembly and many female lawmakers smiled and cheered.
The House of Representatives and the Senate have already adopted a bill amending Article 34 of the French Constitution, specifying that “the law determines and guarantees the conditions under which women can exercise their freedom of abortion.”
After the constitutional amendment was passed, President Emmanuel Macron described the measure as “French pride” that sent a “universal message.” But anti-abortion groups, like the Vatican, strongly criticized the change, the BBC reported.
Abortion has been legal in France since 1975, but opinion polls show that about 85% of people support a constitutional amendment to protect the right to terminate a pregnancy. Several other countries include reproductive rights in their constitutions, but France is the first to explicitly state that abortion will be guaranteed.
Prior to today’s historic vote, French Prime Minister Gabrielle Attal urged the 925 members of both houses of parliament gathered at a joint meeting held at the Palace of Versailles to make France a leader in women’s human rights and become an example for defending women’s human rights around the world.
“We owe a moral debt to women,” Attal said, paying tribute to Simone Weil, a prominent lawmaker and feminist who served as health minister who championed the 1975 law decriminalizing abortion in France.
“We have a chance to change history,” said Prime Minister Attal. “Please make Simone Bale proud,” he appealed for the bill to be passed. He said the right to abortion was “at risk,” adding: “We are sending a message to all women: your body is yours and no one can make decisions for you.”
The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment in January that would enshrine a woman’s right to an abortion, and the Senate took up the bill in late February, promising to make “a woman’s right to an abortion” irreversible. A major obstacle to legislation for the Macron government has been removed.
In order for the bill to be approved, more than three-fifths of the votes were needed at the joint meeting. None of the major political parties in France, including the conservative Republican Party and the far-right National Rally (RN), which includes French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, raised questions about the right to abortion. But some lawmakers had voted against including abortion rights in the constitution in a previous vote in both chambers.
After the parliamentary vote on the constitutional amendments, the Eiffel Tower in Paris was decorated with the sign “My body.” The lights turned on in celebration with the message “My choice.”
In some quarters, President Macron is being criticized for using the Constitution for election purposes while the right-wing resistance in parliament surrounding the constitutional amendment recognizing a woman’s right to abortion has failed to materialize. Critics said the amendment was not wrong in itself but unnecessary, and accused President Macron of trying to use the bill’s justification to increase his left-wing credentials, the BBC reported.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.