Abortion Now a Constitutional Right in France

A demonstration outside La Place de la Sorbonne, in Paris. Source: Reuters

When the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June of 2022, tensions mounted as more doubt was cast on the future of reproductive care in the country. This past month, Alabama added to that sentiment by proposing a new law defining abortion and what it considers a child in the setting of In Vitro Fertilization. Although the Alabama governor later proposed new ways to protect clinics from the legal turmoil the law would bring to patients and providers, the issue of abortion in the state, the Southeast, and the country still remains a heavily debated topic. 

However, across the globe, some countries’ leaders are enacting new legislation to protect abortion for their citizens. In the beginning of March, France became the first country in the world to protect the right to abortion in their constitution. Efforts to enact this right began as a response to the United States Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, and were met with seemingly little opposition. Al-Jazeera found that over 75% of the French population believes abortion should be legal, which was reflected by the vote. The law passed both the Senate and the National Assembly, France’s two houses of parliament, with a final vote of 780-72. This overwhelming majority sends a clear message to all nations, with a particular notion towards the United States. 

This February, the law to permit abortion in France passed seamlessly through this law-making process, despite the complicated nature of the history of abortion in France. Abortion has been a frequently raised issue in social spheres across the country throughout the 19th and 20th century. The 1950s and 1960s saw the “Manifesto des 343” and the MLF (Mouvement de Libération des Femmes), both of which were acts by women to bring the issue of abortion into a more public light, and introduce it into the realm of government debate. In 1975, the efforts of many women were rewarded by the confirmation of the “Veil Act” that decriminalized abortion. The addition of the right to abortion to France’s constitution marks the official end to the struggle for abortion rights for women in France, now achieving complete legal freedom within reproductive rights and control over their bodies. 

With the addition of this law to the constitution, French President Emmanuel Macron is sending a clear message to the United States and other nations. Before the signing, he voiced his intentions with the addition of the law to the constitution: “We're going to lead this fight in our continent, in our Europe, where reactionary forces are attacking women's rights before attacking the rights of minorities.” His disapproval of how the United States has dealt with abortion with the overturning of Roe v. Wade is also reflected by his eagerness to make abortion a constitutional right. He will not let his country face the same outcome as the United States. Leading a country with such global influence, Macron’s decision adds a promise of hope to women struggling across the globe for complete reproductive freedom. French constitutional law is the first venue to see this change. To be granted complete autonomy and control over their bodies legally, this constitutional right to abortion is the final achievement for women in France, and a promising leap for advocates of choice across the globe.