On January 31st, France’s National Assembly has approved a bill to enshrine a historical bill, giving women the right to abortion in the Constitution by the next year. President Macron proposed the bill, after the restriction on abortion in other countries like US and Poland. He wrote in a social media post, “In 2024, the right of women to choose abortion will become irreversible.”
The bill aims to amend Article 34 of France’s Constitution to guarantee women the freedom to abortion. In 1975, Abortion was decriminalized in France, but a constitutional right was not given to women for abortion. 
Support from the National Assembly
The lower house witnessed a positive reaction from lawmakers with 493 votes in favour and only 30 against, in proposed bill. For the amendment to become a law, it must pass both chambers of the Parliament and then be approved either in a referendum or by a three-fifths majority of a joint session of Parliament. Macron is going for the second option but is uncertain about the upper house’s support.
This is huge and marks the first step in the legislative process with the National Assembly’s positive response. France’s PM Gabriel Attal called it ” a great victory for women’s rights,” while Gender equality minister Aurore Berge called it “historic”.
If the bill gets passed, France will become the first country to have abortion rights in the Constitution.
According to Constitutional experts and Guillaume Gouffier Valent, lawmakers are making a historic movement for abortion rights in the country and for the world.
Opposition from the Senate
No other party questioned the bill, but some conservative Senate members criticized it, particularly center-right members who argued that abortion is not a constitutional matter. Gerad Lacher, the President of the Senate, opposed the bill by saying that “abortion is not threatened in our country”, therefore there is no need for constitutionalisation of abortion rights. The Senate is set to examine the proposal beginning February 28. 
Abortion Rights in Other Countries
The constitutionalization of abortion rights in France is not an isolated event but is influenced by global trends.
In 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States repealed a 50-year-old ruling, Roe v Wade, which guaranteed the right to an abortion.
Last year Poland witnessed a protest in the country after the already restrictive abortion law was again tightened by ruling that women could no longer terminate pregnancies in cases of several fetal deformities including Down Syndrome. In September 2022, Hungary also tightened its abortion law by making the process of termination of pregnancy for women more bureaucratic. 
France thinks constitutionalization of abortion rights are must in the country as other countries including the largest democracy are facing challenges to reproduction rights, so by constitutionalizing abortion rights, France wants to become an inspiration for other countries who are facing the challenges to abortion rights.
