France: French President Mr. Emmanuel Macron has vowed to include the abortion rights of women in the country’s constitution by 2024.
Mr. Macron stated that his government would submit a draft text to France’s highest administrative court to make abortion rights constitutional by the end of the year.
“In 2024, the right of women to choose abortion will become irreversible,” the French President posted on social media.
The announcement follows a promise made by Mr. Macron on March 8, International Women’s Day, when he tweeted in response to the overturning of federal abortion rights in the US. “A universal message of solidarity to all women who today see this right violated: France will engrave in its Constitution the freedom of women to have recourse to abortion,” the President tweeted.
The resolution was backed in the national assembly in November 2022 and passed in the senate in February 2023, despite opposition from right-wing parties.
The revision of the French constitution requires either a referendum or approval by at least three-fifths of both houses of parliament. To avoid a referendum, the government presented its own bill rather than one originating among lawmakers, meaning Mr. Macron can convene a special congress of both houses.
According to a 2022 opinion poll, 89 percent of respondents wanted abortion rights to be better protected under the constitution.
Ms. Bérangère Couillard, French Minister for Gender Equality, posted on X that “this is a victory for all women and a strong symbol sent to other countries of the world where our rights are losing ground.”
France passed the law to legalize abortion in 1975, and subsequent legislation has been implemented to improve the conditions for abortions. These laws have focused on safeguarding women’s health and privacy while also reducing the financial costs associated with the procedure. According to government figures, 234,000 abortions were carried out in France last year.
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