On March 4,2024 France became the first and the only country in the world to announce abortion as a constitutional right. The bill was approved in the joint session of the French Parliament by 780-72 votes. This move was highly appreciated by the women rights advocates across countries.
A Brief About the Chronology of Past Events
In 1920, the French parliament passed a law that criminalized both abortion and contraception. It was seen as something immoral to the Catholics who constituted the majority of the population during that time in France.
From 1971, the movement gained momentum and in the same year Women’s Liberation Movement or Mouvement de Libération des Femmes (MLF) organized various street protests in Paris.In November 1974, the Health Minister of France , Simone Veil presented a bill in the Parliament , making abortions legal in France.
Following this in 1993 a law was passed , called the Neiertz Law which led to decriminalization of self-abortions in France. In July of 2001, a law was passed that said that the time to carry out abortions was increased to 14 weeks of amenorrhea.In 2013, it was fully the duty of the French government to bear the cost of abortions. Later in 2023, the French President said the government wishes to enshrine the right to abortion as a constitutional right.
The French government spoke about the right to abortion in the USA. The Supreme Court of USA, overturned the fifty year old judgment on right to abortion in 2022.The government of France addressed this during their course of discussion. Similar trends are observed in various other countries, even in that of Europe where women are not allowed to abort.
Procedure of Amending a Bill in France
The constitutional amendment in France can be achieved in two ways. The first way is to get the approval of three fifths of both the chambers of the French Parliament and the second is to go for a referendum. Macron at present lacks a majority in the Parliament. Thus, Macron is opting to take approval of three fifths of both the chambers of the French Parliament.
The National Assembly and the Senate have adopted a bill that will amend Article 34 of the French Constitution, that will ensure the right to adoption is guaranteed to women.
Criticism Received on the Abortion Bill
Though the move was highly applauded by many however, at the same time there were few anti-abortion groups who criticized abortion rights.
The President of the Association of Catholic Families, said that it is a decision taken in panic. The feminist movements in France created pressure which led to panic and because of that the abortion rights were included in the constitution.
Also, as per Le Pen, this was a political move by Macron. Although he voted in favor, however, he felt that Macron did it with a political motive.
India’s Stand on Abortion
In India, the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act gives the permission to abort up till 24 weeks, and after this termination of pregnancy is permitted if a board of doctors attests that the further continuation of pregnancy can cause a threat to mother’s life or if there is a case of abnormality in the fetus.
Similarly, in the United Kingdom, abortion is allowed upto first 24 weeks of pregnancy due to socio economic reasons and after 24 weeks it is allowed only in certain medical conditions.
Therefore, the people of France are celebrating the adoption of abortion rights as a constitutional right and calling it as ‘MyBodyMyChoice.’
