“Your body belongs to you”: France enshrines the right to abortion in its constitution for the first time in the world

In France they supported women's right to abortion , introducing it into the constitution/Laura Ohlman, Unsplash

On Monday, March 4, the French parliament made a historic decision – to enshrine it in the constitution the right to voluntary termination of pregnancy. It took a year and a half, the idea was supported by both houses of parliament and the government.

Recently, the French president made a loud statement that NATO troops could be sent to Ukraine. Subsequently, he clarified that there was no talk of the near future.

How France supported abortion legally: details

The overwhelming majority of deputies voted for the decision – 780 people. Last year, the National Assembly voted in January, the Senate voted last week, and the next step was taken by Congress. The decision was greeted with applause.

The idea of ​​enshrining the right to abortion in the constitution belongs to a number of deputies from different political forces. Supporters of the project called the moment of voting historic and democratic.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said before the vote that lawmakers have a moral duty to women who have been forced to have illegal abortions in the past. Therefore, the seal on the document, which seals the decision, is literally “made of tears and blood.”

Also during the voting, they paid tribute to the memory of Simone Weil, the former Minister of Health. She passed a law decriminalizing voluntary termination of pregnancy, which was called Veil's law.

Emmanuel Macron also welcomed the decision, calling it a “universal message.” He will take part in a ceremony to enshrine this right in the Constitution on Friday, March 8, International Women's Rights Day. The ceremony will take place on Place Vendôme, near the Ministry of Justice, and will be open to the public.

After the vote, the Eiffel Tower was illuminated with the inscription “My body is my choice “.