France to enshrine abortion rights in constitution as a guaranteed freedom
In a groundbreaking move, French lawmakers are set to make history by anchoring the right to abortion in the country’s constitution. This would be a global first and has received overwhelming public support.
The President of France’s National Assembly, Yael Braun-Pivet, is scheduled to present the bill for enshrining the right to abortion in the French constitution at a joint session of parliament in Versailles. Despite initial resistance in the right-leaning Senate, the congress of both houses of parliament is expected to find the three-fifths majority needed for the change.
If approved, France will become the only country in the world to clearly protect the right to terminate a pregnancy in its basic law. This move comes after the US Supreme Court overturned the right to abortion, prompting President Emmanuel Macron to pledge to enshrine it in the French constitution.
Abortion has been legal in France since 1975, and the bill to make it a “guaranteed freedom” in the constitution has already been approved by both the National Assembly and the Senate. The final vote on the bill is anticipated to take place at a rare joint session of both chambers at the Palace of Versailles.
An overwhelming number of French citizens, 86 percent, support inscribing the right to abortion in the constitution. Left-wing and centrist politicians have welcomed the change, while right-wing senators have reportedly felt pressure to vote in favor.
President Macron has called for the parliamentary congress on Monday to solidify the enshrinement of abortion rights in the constitution. The move has been widely acclaimed as a progressive step towards ensuring reproductive rights and gender equality in France.
