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Paris
CNN
—
France became the first country in the world This is the culmination of an effort that began in direct response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Members of both houses of the French parliament voted 780 to 72 in favor of the bill, easily achieving the three-fifths majority needed to amend the French constitution.
Monday’s vote took place during a special session of lawmakers at the Palace of Versailles, southwest of Paris, and was the final step in the legislative process. The French Senate and National Assembly each overwhelmingly approved the amendments earlier this year.
The amendment stipulates that abortion is “guaranteed freedom” in France. Some groups and lawmakers wanted stronger language to explicitly call abortion a “right.”
Lawmakers called the move a historic demonstration of France’s support for reproductive rights at a time when abortion is under threat not only in the United States but also in parts of Europe, including Hungary, where far-right parties are on the rise. It was welcomed as a good method. To power.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said before the vote that lawmakers had a “moral debt” to women who had been forced to endure illegal abortions in the past.
“Above all, we send a message to all women: Your body is yours,” Attal said.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the government will hold a formal ceremony to celebrate the passage of the amendment on Friday, International Women’s Rights Day.
France first legalized abortion in 1975. After a campaign led by Simone Weil, an Auschwitz survivor and then-Minister of Health who became one of the country’s most famous feminist icons.
Abortion is a highly divisive issue in American politics, often divided by party lines, but it is widely supported in France. Many members of Congress who voted against the amendment did so not because they opposed abortion, but because they felt the measure was unnecessary given widespread support for reproductive rights.
The bill’s passage is a clear victory for France’s left, which has long called for the right to abortion to be guaranteed in the constitution. Before 2022, President Emmanuel Macron’s government, like opponents of the current amendment, had argued that the move was unnecessary.
However, in 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Roe v. Wade, allowing each state to decide individually. France was forced to act on this issue.
French Justice Minister Eric Dupont Moretti said before the debate began in parliament in January that there were other examples in history of “fundamental rights” being taken away despite what was believed to be safe. There are many, he said resolutely. U.S. Supreme Court decision. ”
“We now have irrefutable evidence that no democracy, even the largest, is immune,” he said.
This vote marks the 25th time the French government has amended the constitution since the establishment of the Fifth Republic in 1958.
The Catholic Church was one of the few groups to voice opposition to the amendment. The Pontifical Academy of Life, a Vatican institution that focuses on issues related to bioethics, said in a statement: “In an era of universal human rights, there can be no ‘right’ to take human life.” .
Ahead of the vote at the French bishops’ conference on Thursday, the church reiterated its opposition to abortion.
CNN’s Joseph Ataman and Christopher Lamb contributed to this report
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