France Set to Be First Nation to Incorporate Abortion Rights into Constitution

The French Senate has recently expressed its support for a constitutional amendment that would firmly establish women’s right to have an abortion. This decision follows the endorsement of the same amendment by the National Assembly, the lower house of the French parliament, in the month of January.

This move towards a constitutional amendment is a significant one, as it requires considerable support from members of both houses of parliament. In order for the amendment to be officially enacted, it must secure approval from a supermajority of two-thirds of the deputies from both the Senate and the National Assembly. A joint session has been scheduled for March 11 in Versailles to decide on the matter. If the amendment is approved, it would mark a historic milestone for France, which would become the first country globally to constitutionally guarantee a woman’s right to an abortion, as highlighted by France 24.

The proposed constitutional amendment was initially presented to parliamentarians by the government. The preamble of the proposal indicates that the initiative was a response to the controversial 2022 ruling of the US Supreme Court in which it reversed its own 1973 decision in the landmark Roe v. Wade case, which had previously established the right to abortion. The French government’s move to constitutionally guarantee women’s right to an abortion can thus be seen as a proactive measure to prevent a similar reversal of rights in the future.