French lawmakers have agreed on a new rule that will protect a woman’s right to have an abortion in the French Constitution. This decision was made during a special meeting of parliament at the Palace of Versailles on Monday.
The bill was passed by a large majority of 780-72 votes, and almost everyone in the meeting stood up and clapped for a long time.
In France, people were really happy and celebrating because the President, Emmanuel Macron, promised to protect women’s rights after abortion rights were limited in the United States.
Both the National Assembly and the Senate have agreed to change Article 34 of the French Constitution to make sure that women have the right to get an abortion.
A law to make sure women can have an abortion is going to be voted on in France. Lawmakers are meeting at the Palace of Versailles for this important vote.
President Emmanuel Macron promised to take action because there were laws changing that make it harder for women to get an abortion in the United States.
The French government wants to change Article 34 of the Constitution to make sure women have the right to get an abortion as long as the law allows it.
Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have agreed on the bill. Monday’s meeting is likely just a formality.
Before the important vote, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal spoke to 925 lawmakers in Versailles. He said that France should be a leader in women’s rights and show other countries how to defend women’s rights.
“We owe it to women to do what is right,” Attal said. He honored Simone Veil, who was an important lawmaker and feminist. In 1975, she fought for the law that made abortion legal in France.
“We can make history change,” Attal said in a passionate and determined speech. “He said to a big applause that he wanted to make Simone Veil proud. ”
The National Assembly, which is part of the government, agreed with the proposal in January by a large majority. The Senate approved the bill on Wednesday, which is an important step for a law promised by Macron’s government. This law is meant to make sure that women can’t be denied the right to have an abortion.
The rule needs to be agreed upon by at least three out of every five people in the meeting.
No big political parties in France’s parliament have questioned the right to abortion, including Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party and the conservative Republicans. But some lawmakers disagreed with adding the right to have an abortion to the constitution in past votes in both the senate and the house.
Le Pen, who got a lot of seats in the National Assembly two years ago, said on Monday that her party will vote for the bill, but she also said it’s not necessary to make this a big day in history.
Many people in France support the right to have an abortion. A new survey found that more than 80% of people support this, which is the same as other surveys in the past. The survey also found that most people support putting it in the constitution.
People in France were celebrating before the important meeting of the parliament.
Sarah Durocher, who is a leader in the Family Planning movement, said that Monday’s vote is a win for feminists and a loss for people who are against giving choices to women.
Women’s rights activists believe that if the right to have an abortion is included in the constitution, it will be more difficult to stop women from choosing to end a pregnancy in France.
“We made sure this important right is more protected,” said Anne-Cécile Mailfert from the Women’s Foundation. “Women in France can always have the right to choose to have an abortion now and in the future. ”
The government said that the right to have an abortion is in danger in the United States. This is because the Supreme Court recently overturned a 50-year-old rule that used to protect this right.
“Sadly, this is not just happening in one place. In many countries, including Europe, there are people who want to stop women from being able to choose to have an abortion. ”
The choice made by the United States. The decision of the Supreme Court to take away women’s right to have an abortion has caused a lot of discussion in Europe. This has made the topic of abortion a big part of the public debate in France, especially at a time when there is a lot of political change happening.
Mathilde Philip-Gay, who knows a lot about the laws in France and America, said it’s important not to let up on getting laws that help women. She’s worried because far right political groups are gaining power and want to take away women’s rights in many countries.
Philip-Gay said that it might not be a problem in France because most people there are in favor of abortion. “But those people might eventually choose a very conservative government to rule, like what happened in the U. S” It can also happen in other parts of Europe, like France.
Adding abortion into the French constitution will make it more difficult for people who are against abortion to argue against it in the future. But with the right political plan, they could still try to challenge it.
Yael Braun-Pivet, the first female president of the French parliament, said that everything we think we have accomplished can disappear in a moment.
Changing the constitution in France is difficult and doesn’t happen very often. Since 1958, the French Constitution has been changed 17 times. In 2008, the government gave more power to parliament and allowed French people to complain to the Constitutional Court.
Tag: French parliament
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Abortion becomes fundamental right after bill approved by French parliament