Following a campaign headed by the then-Health Minister Simone Veil, an Auschwitz survivor, France first legalized abortion in the 1970s.
On Monday, France made history by being the first nation to include abortion rights in its constitution. The French parliament supported this initiative by voting 780 in favor to 72 against, meeting the necessary three-fifths majority to change the French constitution to uphold the right to an abortion.\
This action follows the US Supreme Court’s decision to reverse the Roe v. Wade decision, which upheld the right to an abortion. Following Roe v. Wade’s overthrow, a campaign to guarantee abortion rights as a constitutional right was launched in France. The vote, which took place on Monday at a special assembly of legislators at the Palace of Versailles, southwest of Paris, marked the end of the legislative process. The French Senate and National Assembly voted in favor of the bill earlier this year.
The amendment states that abortion is now a freedom that is guaranteed in France. Legislators and advocacy groups who backed legislation protecting abortion rights during a period when those rights are being curtailed in the US and other countries are hailing this move as historic.
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The words “My body, My choice” were illuminated on the Eiffel Tower following the announcement of the voting results. According to Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, Members of Parliament bore a “moral debt” to women who had previously been forced to have illegal abortions. Above all, Attal stated, “we are sending a message to all women: your body belongs to you.” The administration will celebrate the passing of the amendment with a ceremonial ceremony on Friday, according to French President Emmanuel Macron.
Following a campaign spearheaded by the then-Health Minister Simone Veil, an Auschwitz survivor and one of France’s most well-known feminist heroines, abortion was first made legal in the country in the 1970s. Contrary to the US, CNN reports that the majority of French citizens approve abortion, making it a non-polarizing issue. Not because they opposed abortion, but rather because they believed the measure was superfluous given the broad support, even the politicians who rejected the amendment did so.
