France Becomes the First and Only Country to Amend Its Constitution for Women on March 8
In a historic move, France has become the first and only country in the world to amend its constitution in favor of women on International Women’s Day. The French Parliament passed a new law on March 4, 2024, which added provisions on abortion rights to the constitution with overwhelming support. This groundbreaking action was proposed by President Emmanuel Macron as a response to the anti-abortion movement among women in the United States in recent years.
A Landmark Decision
The vote in a special session of the French Parliament garnered enthusiastic support from lawmakers. With 780 votes in favor and 72 votes against, the session held at the Palace of Versailles officially recognized the right to abortion in the constitution.
In reality, this right has already received widespread support in most political spheres in France and has been legally established since 1975. Immediately after this progressive move, numerous organizations advocating for women’s rights celebrated and praised President Macron, especially in light of the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn abortion rights in 2022.
Leading the Way
According to Fortune, France is now considered the first and only country in the world to recognize the right to abortion in its constitution. Former Yugoslavia had already included the general idea of “freedom to decide whether to have children or not” in its constitution in 1974, but without specifying the details or ensuring the abortion rights of women.
While the newly formed countries that succeeded Yugoslavia did inherit this provision in their constitutions, they did not specifically state or guarantee clear abortion rights for women. In the historic vote, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal addressed 925 lawmakers gathered at the Versailles session, calling for France to become a leader in women’s rights and to serve as an inspiration to the world.
Attal stated, “We owe it to women,” expressing his respect for Simone Veil, a prominent legislator, former Minister of Health, and key women’s rights activist who supported the decriminalization of abortion in France in 1975.
“We have the opportunity to make history. Let’s make Simone Veil proud,” Attal said, receiving enthusiastic applause from the attending lawmakers.
The Legislative Process
The French Lower House of Parliament approved the constitutional amendment recognizing abortion rights in January 2024 with an overwhelming majority. The final decision was officially passed by the Upper House last week. The joint session, which took place on March 4, 2024, saw support from three-fifths of the legislators.
Fortune notes that there is currently no political party in France that questions abortion rights, whether from the ruling party or the opposition. Recent polls show that 80% of the French public supports women’s right to abortion, and the majority of citizens agree with incorporating these rights into the constitution.
An interesting factor regarding France’s increased focus on this issue is the US Supreme Court ruling in 2022, which overturned a 50-year-old law guaranteeing women’s abortion rights. This ruling drew more attention from the French public to this matter, ultimately leading to this historic vote.
A Historic Process
Amending the constitution is a laborious process involving extensive debates and reaching a consensus. In France, it is also a rare event. Since its adoption in 1958, the French constitution has been amended 17 times. The most recent amendment occurred in 2008, granting more power to the Parliament and enabling French citizens to bring their grievances to the Constitutional Court.
Source: Fortune