France included abortion in its constitution

France became the first country in the world to enshrine abortion rights in its constitution on Monday. This work was the culmination of efforts that were made as a direct response to the decision of the US Supreme Court.

According to the CNN report, the legislators of both the French Senate and the House of Representatives approved this resolution with 780 votes in favor against 72 votes against and easily obtained the three-fifths majority required to amend the French constitution. /p>

This amendment stipulates that there is guaranteed freedom for abortion in France. Some groups and lawmakers have called for stronger language to explicitly recognize abortion as a right. French lawmakers said they welcomed the move as a historic way to send a clear signal of support for reproductive rights, while abortion is illegal in the United States, as well as in parts of Europe such as Hungary.

Before the vote, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal claimed that lawmakers owed a moral debt to women who had to endure illegal abortions in the past. He added: Above all, we send a message to all women: your body belongs to you.

French President Emmanuel Macron also claimed: the government will hold an official celebration of the approval of this amendment on Friday, which coincides with International Women’s Rights Day.

France legalized abortion for the first time in 1975. This action happened after a campaign led by Simon Weil, the then Minister of Health, who became one of the most well-known feminist symbols in this country.

While abortion is a highly divisive issue in American politics, often along party lines, it enjoys widespread support in France. Many legislators who voted against the amendment did so not because they were against abortion, but because they felt it was unnecessary.

The passage of the measure represents a clear victory for France’s leftists, who have pushed for years to guarantee abortion rights in the constitution. Ahead of 2022, Emmanuel Macron’s government argued that the move was unnecessary. This is the 25th time that the French government has amended its constitution since the establishment of the Fifth Republic in 1958.

Catholic Church was one of the groups that declared its opposition to this amendment. In a statement, the Pontifical Academy for Life and the Vatican institution that focuses on issues related to bioethics said: “In the age of universal human rights, there is no right to take human life.” On Thursday, the French bishops’ conference also reiterated the church’s opposition to abortion before the vote.