A general view shows MPs and Senators during the convocation of a congress of both houses of parliament in Versailles, southwestern of Paris, France March 4, 2024, to anchor the right to abortion in the country’s constitution. If congress approves the move, France will become the only country in the world to clearly protect the right to terminate a pregnancy in its basic law. EMMANUEL DUNAND/Pool via REUTERS
On Monday, France achieved a historical milestone by officially incorporating the right to abortion into its constitution, marking a global precedent. This development received acclaim from women’s rights advocates while eliciting strong criticism from anti-abortion factions. During a joint parliamentary vote at Versailles Palace, 780 members of both houses expressed overwhelming support for the measure, with only 72 dissenting.
Abortion rights proponents gathered in central Paris to celebrate the occasion, applauding as the Eiffel Tower illuminated with the message “MyBodyMyChoice” in the backdrop. Notably, abortion enjoys broader acceptance in France compared to the United States and various other nations, with approximately 80% of the French population supporting its legal status.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, addressing lawmakers before the vote, emphasized the symbolic message being conveyed to women: the autonomy of one’s body is inviolable, and no external entity should dictate decisions pertaining to it. The legal entitlement to abortion in France traces back to the 1974 law, which, although initially criticized, has remained in force.
In response to the 2022 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the Roe v. Wade ruling, recognizing women’s constitutional right to abortion, activists in France intensified efforts to safeguard this right explicitly in the nation’s foundational law. Laura Slimani from the Fondation des Femmes remarked on the emotional significance of the vote, particularly in light of the perceived global regression in abortion rights.
Monday’s vote led to the inclusion of a new provision, Article 34, in the French constitution, explicitly stating that “the law determines the conditions in which a woman has the guaranteed freedom to have recourse to an abortion.” Yael Braun-Pivet, head of the lower house of parliament and a member of President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party, commended France for taking a leading role in this matter.
Nevertheless, the decision faced criticism, with far-right leader Marine Le Pen suggesting that President Macron was exploiting the issue for political gain due to the widespread support for abortion rights in the country. Le Pen, while indicating her party’s support for the constitutional inclusion, questioned the historic significance, asserting that the right to abortion in France was not under threat.
Pascale Moriniere, president of the Association of Catholic Families, viewed the move as a defeat for both anti-abortion advocates and women, contending that the constitutional amendment was unnecessary. Moriniere argued that the debate was imported from the United States and driven by a sense of panic among feminist movements following the repeal of Roe v. Wade.
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