France's Parliament approved a bill to enshrine a woman's right to an abortion in the Constitution in a historic vote on Monday, March 4, as lawmakers gathered for a joint session of Parliament at the Palace of Versailles. The constitutional reform amends Article 34 of the French Constitution to specify that "the law determines the conditions by which is exercised the freedom of women to voluntarily terminate a pregnancy, which is guaranteed." The measure was promised by President Emmanuel Macron following a rollback of abortion rights in court rulings in the United States.
In the lead up to the historic vote, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal addressed the 925 lawmakers gathered for the joint session in Versailles, and called on them to make France a leader in women's rights and set an example in defense of women's rights for countries around the world.
"We have a moral debt to women," Attal said. He paid tribute to Simone Veil, a prominent legislator, former health minister and key feminist who in 1975 championed the bill that decriminalized abortion in France. "We have a chance to change history," Attal said in a moving and determined speech. "Make Simone Veil proud," he said to a standing ovation.
The Assemblée Nationale overwhelmingly approved the proposal in January. The Sénat adopted the bill last Wednesday, clearing a key hurdle for legislation promised by Macron's government, intended to make "a woman's right to have an abortion irreversible." The measure needed to be approved by a three-fifths majority in the joint session for the Constitution to be amended.
None of France's major political parties represented in Parliament have questioned the right to abortion, including Marine Le Pen's far-right Rassemblement National party and the conservative Les Républicains. However, some lawmakers have voted against inscribing abortion rights into the Constitution in previous votes in both houses. Le Pen said on Monday that her party would vote in favor of the bill but added that "there is no need to make this a historic day."
The right to an abortion has broad support among the French public. A recent poll showed support at over 80%, consistent with previous surveys. The same poll also showed that a solid majority of people are in favor of enshrining it in the Constitution.
There were scenes of celebrations around France ahead of the historical joint parliament session. Sarah Durocher, a leader in the Family Planning movement, said Monday's vote is "a victory for feminists and a defeat for the anti-choice activists."
With the right to an abortion added to the constitution, it will be much harder to prevent women from voluntarily terminating a pregnancy in France, women's rights and equality activists said. "We increased the level of protection to this fundamental right," said Anne-Cécile Mailfert of the Women's Foundation. "It's a guarantee for women today and in the future to have the right to abort in France."
The government argued in its introduction to the bill that the right to abortion is threatened in the United States, where the Supreme Court in 2022 overturned a 50-year-old ruling that used to guarantee it. "Unfortunately, this event is not isolated: in many countries, even in Europe, there are currents of opinion that seek to hinder at any cost the freedom of women to terminate their pregnancy if they wish," the introduction to the French legislation says.
The decision by the US Supreme Court to strip women of the right to abortion has reverberated across Europe's political landscape, forcing the issue back into public debate in France at a time of political upheaval.
"It only takes a moment for everything we thought that we have achieved to fade away," said Yaël Braun-Pivet, the first female president of a chamber of French Parliament, in her address to the joint session.
Amending the constitution is a laborious process and a rare event in France, requiring either a referendum or a three-fifths majority vote in Parliament after both houses agree on common language. Since it was enacted in 1958, the French Constitution has been amended 17 times. The last time was in 2008, when Parliament was awarded more powers and French citizens were granted the right to bring their grievances to the Constitutional Court.