In a historical decision, France became the world’s first country to explicitly guarantee a woman’s right to voluntarily terminate a pregnancy. French lawmakers, on Monday, passed a bill to enshrine abortion rights in the constitution in a joint session of Parliament at the Palace of Versailles.
The bill was supported by MPs and senators, with 780 votes in favour and only 72 against, while almost everyone in the joint session gave a long-standing ovation.
The women’s rights activists gathered in large numbers in Central Paris to celebrate the historic occasion with loud cheers and applause in the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower displaying the message “MyBodyMyChoice” on a giant screen after the vote result.
The bill has been already adopted by both houses of Parliament—the National Assembly and the Senate—to amend Article 34 of the constitution to ensure a woman’s right to an abortion is guaranteed.
“France is at the forefront,” said the head of the lower house of Parliament, Yael Braun-Pivet, as she opened the joint meeting.
“I’m proud of this Congress, which will say that the right to get an abortion will now be part of our basic law,” she added.
Earlier, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said, “We’re sending a message to all women: your body belongs to you and no one can decide for you.”
On January 30, France’s National Assembly endorsed the bill aimed at cementing a woman’s abortion rights in the French Constitution, marking the initial phase of the legislative procedure. The measure garnered strong support from the Senate as well.
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