First country in the world

France: right to abortion in the constitution

When the President of the French National Assembly announced the result, cheers erupted.(Bild: APA/AFP/POOL/EMMANUEL DUNAND)

France has become the first country in the world to include the "freedom to have an abortion" in its constitution. The members of both chambers of parliament voted in favor of the corresponding constitutional amendment on Monday evening by 780 votes to 72. The announcement of the result was greeted with prolonged applause. 

Numerous people followed the debate and vote on a large screen. Cheers broke out on the square opposite the Eiffel Tower after the decision. Last week, the French Senate had already voted in favor of abortion rights.

Macron delighted
The Eiffel Tower glittered in homage. "The pride of France. Universal message", wrote French President Emmanuel Macron on X. The document was stamped with a state seal in Versailles using a historic seal press. It is to be ceremoniously sealed again on International Women's Day on March 8. 

"I too was an embryo" was written on the anti-abortionists' poster.(Bild: APA/AFP/GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT)

In front of the Palace of Versailles, where the vote took place, there was also a demonstration by hundreds of anti-abortion activists. Some of them emphasized that they were not against abortion, but merely opposed its inclusion in the constitution.

"Historic step"
In an initial reaction, SPÖ MEP Evelyn Regner spoke of a "historic step". "While women's rights and fundamental rights are coming under pressure all over the world, French members of the Senate and the National Assembly are today taking a targeted stand against this: The freedom as a woman to decide for herself about a pregnancy or its termination," said the Vice-President of the EU Parliament, who is also a member of the Gender Equality Committee.