In a significant development that has stirred controversy, President Emmanuel Macron of France recently announced through an online post his intention to cement abortion as an “irreversible” right in the country’s constitution by 2024. This move has brought the issue of abortion to the forefront of public discourse as abortion rates in the country are already skyrocketing.
Macron’s recent declaration is not a surprising development. It follows a promise he made earlier this year on March 8, International Women’s Day, to enshrine abortion “rights” in the constitution as a response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the United States. In addition, earlier this month, in his speech marking the 65th anniversary of the French Constitution, Macron urged the inclusion of abortion “as soon as possible” in the constitution.
“I want the force of this message to help us change our constitution to enshrine the freedom of women to have recourse to the voluntary interruption of pregnancy,” Macron said during an event at the Palace of Justice in Paris.
Constitution revision in France is no easy process. It requires either a referendum or approval by at least three-fifths of the members of both chambers of parliament. In November 2022, the National Assembly approved the inclusion of abortion as a “right;” however, in February, the Senate modified the proposal to frame it as a “freedom.”
Consequently, both chambers will need to reach a consensus to proceed.
The draft of the bill is anticipated to be sent to the Council of State, France’s highest administrative office, this week. The next step would be presentation of the bill to the Cabinet by the end of the year.
The plan to enshrine abortion in the constitution has received pushback. During a press conference on September 23 on a flight from Marseille to Rome, Pope Francis reiterated the Catholic Church’s pro-life stance, saying, “You don’t play with life, neither at the beginning nor at the end. You don’t play with it.”
In addition, pro-life group Alliance Vita spoke out against Macron’s plan earlier this month, arguing that the country is exploiting the abortion issue for political purposes and that women typically resort to abortion based on family and societal pressure.
“Instead of including abortion right in the French Constitution, it is urgent to establish a true abortion prevention policy aimed at avoiding a large number of personal tragedies by presenting other alternatives to the women concerned,” Alliance Vita said in a statement.
Tragically, Macron’s announcement coincides with a surge in abortion rates in France. In 2022, the country experienced a record high of 234,300 abortions, with a rate reaching 16.9 per 1,000 women of child bearing age — the highest since 1990. In addition, the country’s abortion limit was recently extended from 12 to 14 weeks. Previously, abortion was only permitted in the second and third trimesters in cases deemed medically necessary, though induced abortion — the direct and intentional killing of a human being prior to birth — is not truly medically necessary.
In a climate where abortion rates are on the rise in the country, the decision to enshrine abortion in the constitution prompts the urgent question: Is this the answer? Pro-life advocates like Alliance Vita rightly assert that women deserve support, alternatives, and care that prioritize life over the tragedy of ending innocent unborn lives.
