French lawmakers back bill to entrench abortion rights in Constitution

The bill, which was crafted in response to the U.S. Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade, could face opposition from the French Senate and is expected to be approved in a referendum.
PARIS - French lawmakers on Thursday backed a proposal to enshrine the right to abortion into the nation's Constitution, in a move designed as a direct response to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade this summer.
But the bill, passed by the National Assembly, the lower and most powerful house of the French Parliament, will have to go through a complex legislative process and deal with possible opposition in the Senate, before the Constitution can be amended, allowing enough time and opportunity for lawmakers or voters to ultimately reject it.
"Nobody can predict the future", declared in the National Assembly Mathilde Panot, leader of the far left party France insubordinate, who backed the bill, adding that the proposal was intended to "ward off the fear that grips us when women's rights are attacked elsewhere in June, which sent shockwaves through European countries and was considered a red flag by many in France.
“History is replete with examples of fundamental freedoms that were taken for granted and yet shattered with the stroke of a pen by events, crises or tidal waves,” declared the Minister of Justice, Éric Dupond-Mo r. etti, said Thursday. "And this is even truer when it comes to women's rights."
Abortion in France was decriminalized in 1975, two years after Roe v. Wade, under a landmark law championed by Simone Veil. Although no political party today challenges this legalization, debates raged on Thursday on the advisability of amending the Constitution.
ImageÉric Dupond-Moretti, France's Minister of Justice, said on Thursday: "History is full of examples of fundamental freedoms taken for granted and yet annihilated with the stroke of a pen."Credit...Sarah Meyssonnier/ Reuters
legal limits for terminating a pregnancy, which currently stand at 14 weeks.
Fabien Di Filippo, a centre-right MP who abstained from voting, denounced those who "want to open the door to a possibly unlimited right in time. "
Hundreds of amen...

World Nov 26, 2022 0 56 Add to Reading List

French lawmakers back bill to entrench abortion rights in Constitution

The bill, which was crafted in response to the U.S. Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade, could face opposition from the French Senate and is expected to be approved in a referendum.

PARIS - French lawmakers on Thursday backed a proposal to enshrine the right to abortion into the nation's Constitution, in a move designed as a direct response to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade this summer.

But the bill, passed by the National Assembly, the lower and most powerful house of the French Parliament, will have to go through a complex legislative process and deal with possible opposition in the Senate, before the Constitution can be amended, allowing enough time and opportunity for lawmakers or voters to ultimately reject it.

"Nobody can predict the future", declared in the National Assembly Mathilde Panot, leader of the far left party France insubordinate, who backed the bill, adding that the proposal was intended to "ward off the fear that grips us when women's rights are attacked elsewhere in June, which sent shockwaves through European countries and was considered a red flag by many in France.

“History is replete with examples of fundamental freedoms that were taken for granted and yet shattered with the stroke of a pen by events, crises or tidal waves,” declared the Minister of Justice, Éric Dupond-Mo r. etti, said Thursday. "And this is even truer when it comes to women's rights."

Abortion in France was decriminalized in 1975, two years after Roe v. Wade, under a landmark law championed by Simone Veil. Although no political party today challenges this legalization, debates raged on Thursday on the advisability of amending the Constitution.

ImageÉric Dupond-Moretti, France's Minister of Justice, said on Thursday: "History is full of examples of fundamental freedoms taken for granted and yet annihilated with the stroke of a pen."Credit...Sarah Meyssonnier/ Reuters legal limits for terminating a pregnancy, which currently stand at 14 weeks.

Fabien Di Filippo, a centre-right MP who abstained from voting, denounced those who "want to open the door to a possibly unlimited right in time. "

Hundreds of amen...