France is now the first nation in the world whose constitution expressly guarantees the right to an abortion.
The nation’s 1958 constitution will be revised by parliament in order to guarantee women’s “guaranteed freedom” to abort.
Standing ovations broke out in the Versailles parliament upon the announcement of the resounding 780-72 vote.
The action was hailed as “French pride” and sent a “universal message” by President Emmanuel Macron.
Nonetheless, the Vatican and anti-abortion organizations have sharply criticized the move.
Although abortion is legal in France as of 1975, surveys indicate that about 85% of respondents are in favor of changing the constitution to safeguard the right to terminate a pregnancy.
Furthermore, France is the first nation to specifically declare that access to abortion will be guaranteed, even though the constitutions of a number of other nations also protect reproductive rights.
It becomes the first since 2008 and the 25th amendment to the modern French Constitution.
The Eiffel Tower in Paris was lit up in celebration after the vote, bearing the following message
“My Body My Choice”.
Before the vote, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal told parliament that the right to abortion remained “in danger” and “at the mercy of decision-makers”.
“We’re sending a message to all women: your body belongs to you and no one can decide for you,” He continued.
Even though right-wing opposition in parliament did not materialize, President Macron has been charged with abusing the constitution for political purposes.
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Critics claim the revision is needless rather than necessarily incorrect, and they charge the president of attempting to capitalize on the issue to strengthen his left-leaning reputation.
Nine times since 1975, the law has been updated, always granting more access.
The French Constitutional Council, which determines whether laws are constitutional, has never expressed doubt.
The 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man, which is formally a part of the Constitution, contains a definition of liberty that the council used to justify its approval of abortion in a 2001 decision.
Abortion is already constitutional, according to a large number of jurists

Following the vote, the phrase “My body, my choice” glowed on the Eiffel Tower.
Recent events in the US, where the Supreme Court eliminated the right to an abortion in 2022, served as the impetus for the constitutional amendment. Millions of women’s access to abortions will now be terminated if individual states decide to once more outlaw the procedure.
Many people are in favor of the French constitution’s move to legalize abortion.
“This right (to abortion) has retreated in the United States. And so nothing authorised us to think that France was exempt from this risk,” said Laura Slimani, from the Fondation des Femmes rights group.
“There’s a lot of emotion, as a feminist activist, also as a woman,” she said.
But not all support it, with the Vatican repeating its opposition to abortion.
“There can be no ‘right’ to take a human life,” In a statement, the Vatican organization echoed worries expressed by French Catholic bishops.
In order for “life protection to become an absolute priority in this phase of history,” it made an appeal to “all governments and all religious traditions to do their best.”