France is now the first nation in the world whose constitution expressly guarantees the right to an abortion.
The nation’s 1958 constitution will be revised by parliament to guarantee 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.
Nonetheless, the Vatican and anti-abortion organizations have sharply criticized the move.
Although abortion is legal in France as of 1975, surveys indicate that about 85% of respondents are in favour of changing the constitution to safeguard the right to terminate a pregnancy.
Furthermore, France is the first nation to specifically declare that access to abortion will be guaranteed, even though the constitutions of several other nations also protect reproductive rights.
It becomes the first since 2008 and the 25th amendment to the modern French Constitution.
The phrase “My Body My Choice” was illuminated on the Eiffel Tower in Paris as a symbol of celebration after the vote.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal informed parliamentarians before the vote that the right to an abortion was still “in danger” and “at the mercy of decision-makers.”
He went on, “We’re sending a message to all women: no one can decide for you; your body belongs to you.”
Even though right-wing opposition in parliament did not materialize, President Macron has been charged with abusing the constitution for political purposes.
Critics say the revision is not necessarily wrong in itself, but unnecessary, and accused the president of trying to use the cause to boost his left-wing credentials.
Since 1975 the law has been updated nine times – and on each occasion to extend access.
France’s constitutional council – the body that decides on the constitutionality of laws – has never raised a query.
In a 2001 ruling, the council based its approval of abortion on the notion of liberty enshrined in the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man, which is technically part of the Constitution.
So many jurists say abortion is already a constitutional right.
The constitutional change was prompted by recent developments in the US, where the right to abortion was removed by the Supreme Court in 2022. Individual states are now able to ban the procedure again, ending the right to an abortion for millions of women.
The move to enshrine abortion in the French constitution has been welcomed by many.
“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.
But not all support it, with the Vatican repeating its opposition to abortion.
“There can be no ‘right’ to take a human life,” the Vatican institution said in a statement, echoing concerns already raised by French Catholic bishops.
It appealed to “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”.
SOURCE: BBC
