The French National Assembly has voted in favour of including the right to abortion in the nation’s constitution. The constitutional bill, known as “the freedom to resort to voluntary termination of pregnancy” was recently passed with a sizeable majority of 493 votes to 30.
This development comes nearly a year following France’s President, Emmanuel Macron, publicly expressed his support for constitutionalising the right to abortion during International Women’s Day on March 8, 2023. This move has been articulated as conveying “a universal message of solidarity to all women.”
The constitutional bill will position the voluntary termination of pregnancy under Article 34, asserting that Parliament establishes the conditions in which this freedom is carried out. By enshrining this measure directly within the French Constitution, the government aims to ward off any legal challenges that might threaten this right in the future.
While the ability for women to access a termination in France is not under active threat, the bill asserts the importance of safeguarding the right on a constitutional level, making reference to the ongoing strife surrounding abortion rights in the United States and the impact of historical decisions such as Roe v. Wade.
However, this bill is not yet guaranteed to become part of the French Constitution. Next, it will go before the Senate for approval. Assuming the Senate also ratifies the bill, a collective assembly consisting of members from both the National Assembly and Senate will convene to pass the legislation officially.
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