Current location:travel >>
France guarantees right of abortion
travel9252People have gathered around
IntroductionFrance made history on Monday by becoming the first country in the world to enshrine abortion rights ...
France made history on Monday by becoming the first country in the world to enshrine abortion rights in its constitution at a time when such rights are being challenged in the United States.
Of the 902 French lawmakers in an extraordinary voting session in Versailles outside Paris, the results were 780 in favor, 72 against and 50 abstentions, surpassing the 512 that were needed.
The measure had been passed in the past two months by both lower and upper houses, but final approval by a three-fifths majority in the joint session was needed to effect constitutional change.
French lawmakers welcomed the decision with thunderous applause on Monday and the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris was illuminated on Monday evening to celebrate the decision.
The vote, enshrined in Article 34 of the French constitution, declares that "the law determines the conditions in which a woman has the guaranteed freedom to have recourse to an abortion".
The French constitutional amendment came after the US Supreme Court ruled in 2022 to overturn Roe versus Wade, a historic case in 1973 which protects the right to have an abortion in the US.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal told the joint session of the parliament on Monday that "it takes one generation, one year, one week for things to change drastically", pointing to "American women who must fight for abortion rights".
'Your body belongs to you'
"We're sending a message to all women: your body belongs to you and no one can decide for you," he said.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus applauded the decision.
"Safe #abortion is healthcare. We welcome #France's decision to secure women's rights and save their lives," he said on X.
"France just made history as the first country in the world to constitutionalize abortion rights! Reproductive rights are human rights," Human Rights Watch said in a message on X.
In France, women have had a legal right to abortion since a 1974 law. An IFOP poll in November 2022 showed that 81 percent of French people were favorable toward adding abortion access to the constitution.
But the Vatican said in a statement on Monday that "there can be no 'right' to take a human life", echoing concerns in some Catholic countries.
Abortion is still a major issue in some European Union countries. A 2020 court ruling in Poland led to a near-total ban on abortion.
Abortion is legal in Poland only if pregnancy results from sexual assault or incest, or threatens the life or health of the mother.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen accused President Emmanuel Macron of using the issue to score political points.
"We will vote to include it in the constitution because we have no problem with that," she said ahead of the vote, adding that "no one is putting the right to abortion at risk in France".
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“Planet Pages news portal”。http://seychelles.cezaryphotography.com/content-40e299945.html
Related articles
Lynn Williams breaks NWSL goal
travelLynn Williams scored her 79th league goal, becoming the National Women’s Soccer League all-time scor ...
【travel】
Read moreKMT delegation holds talks with representatives of Taiwan businesspeople, youths on mainland
travelA visiting Chinese Kuomintang party (KMT) delegation led by Fu Kun-chi on Sunday met with representa ...
【travel】
Read more11 missing in Guangdong rainstorm
travelA total of 11 people are missing after continuous heavy rainfall hit many parts of south China's ...
【travel】
Read more
Popular articles
- Kevin Pillar gets 1,000th career hit in Angels' win at Texas
- Real Madrid complaint says ref 'negligent' on Vinicius abuse
- China sees robust recovery, vigorous growth in cultural, tourism industries: minister
- 4th Int'l garden festival kicks off in Beijing
- Strictly star Giovanni Pernice's former partner Rose Ayling
- Number of foreign visits increases over threefold
Latest articles
Forensic psychiatrist reveals the different types of stalkers
France goalkeeper Mike Maignan injures thigh muscle ahead of the European Championship
French Open: Chen/Jia fight back to win women's doubles title
UN asks South Sudan to remove new taxes that led to a pause in food airdrops
Colton Herta shows speed as Honda fights back in penultimate Indy 500 practice session
Neymar to return to Santos in 2025: reports
LINKS
- Indonesian police arrest 8 suspected militants, part of a banned extremist group with al
- This ancient snake in India might have been longer than a school bus and weighed a ton
- A coffee roastery in Finland has launched an AI
- Can US cities fine homeless people for sleeping outside?
- About 1,300 people from Myanmar flee into Thailand after clashes broke out in a key border town
- North Korea says it tested 'super
- Head and Sharma set up Hyderabad to blow away Delhi by 67 runs in IPL
- Rennes routs Nantes 3
- Conjoined twin's husband learns paternity test results after ex
- John Sterling honored by Yankees for 36 seasons and 5,631 games as radio voice