France is First Country to Make Abortion Constitutional Right

In the U.S, abortion rights have been endangered in some states for a while, but they became endangered federally, two years ago, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Overseas, France became the first and only country in the world to include a woman’s right to abortion in its constitution on Monday, March 4th 2024.

The History of Abortion in France

Abortion was legalized in France in 1975; the French can thank Simone Veil for that. Veil was the first female president of the European Parliament and played a serious role in giving French women access to reproductive healthcare, including contraception and abortion. When Veil was the Health Minister (1974-1979), she took action and advanced the law known as Loi Veil which legalized abortion for France.

Abortion is widely supported in France today, in fact the lawmakers who voted against the addition of the new amendment were only opposed to it because they felt that it was not necessary due to the already wide support for reproductive rights in France.

In 2022 when the U.S. overturned Roe v. Wade and left the states to choose their policies, France was pushed to preserve French reproductive rights. Lawmakers and politicians in France became worried because the overturning of Roe v. Wade was an example of how there are certain fundamental rights that are believed to be untouchable, but still able to be restricted. The restriction of reproductive rights across the U.S. led France to make the matter of abortion a larger concern.

Abortion is Enshrined in France 2024

On Monday, both the houses of the French Parliament voted in favor of the amendment: 780-72. The French Senate and National Assembly had already approved the amendment earlier in the year, leaving the vote in parliament as the final step.

The amendment says that in France there is a guaranteed freedom to abortion. After the amendment was passed French president Emmanuel Macron made an announcement that a “sealing ceremony” will take place on Friday, International Women’s Day.

Shortly after the vote the Eiffel Tower was lit up displaying the words “#My Body My Choice”.