From The New York Times:
French legislators on Monday voted to explicitly enshrine access to abortion in the Constitution, making their country the first in the world to do so.
Acutely aware that they were breaking historical ground from the grand assembly room inside Versailles Palace, the politicians delivered impassioned speeches about women’s rights around the world, paid homage to the courageous Frenchwomen who had fought for abortion rights when it was illegal and leaped up time and again to offer standing ovations.
“We are sending the message to all women: Your body belongs to you and no one has the right to control it in your stead,” Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said, before the gathered lawmakers voted 780-72 for the amendment.
The amendment declares abortion to be a “guaranteed freedom,” overseen by Parliament’s laws. That means future governments will not be able to “drastically modify” the current laws funding abortion for women who seek one, up to 14 weeks into their pregnancies, according to the French justice minister, Éric Dupond-Moretti.
Amending the Constitution is not without precedent in France; the current Constitution has been modified over 20 times since it was adopted in 1958. But it is rare. Lawmakers last amended it in 2008.
The motivation for the latest change was the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, an issue raised repeatedly by legislators. But the move also reflects the widespread support for abortion in France, and a successful campaign by a coalition of feminist activists and lawmakers from multiple parties.
“France is showing the right to abortion is no longer an option, it’s a condition of our democracy,” said Mélanie Vogel, a Green Party senator and major force behind the bill.
Ms. Vogel said in an interview, “I want to send a message to feminists outside of France. Everyone told me a year ago it was impossible.” She added: “Nothing is impossible when you mobilize society.”
The Vatican and the French Conference of Bishops opposed the amendment, as did anti-abortion activist groups. But in France, a country where calls to protest regularly bring hundreds of thousands to the streets, opposition was notably scarce.
Not long ago, France was almost exclusively Catholic, popularly known as “The Eldest Daughter of the Church.” No more. It’s notable that the percentage of those who call themselves “Catholic” in France has dropped significantly:
The study noted that from 1872 until 1960, the Catholic population of France held firm at around 97%. In modern times, however, this portion of the French population has fallen to just 25%, with the downward trend expected to continue.
In explanation of the shrinking Catholic faith in France, the report points to several trends, which were first noticed in the previous survey, Téo 1, and have since been exacerbated in the Téo 2. The first of these is the rise of the non-religious, often referred to as “nones,” a group which now makes up the majority of the French population, at 53%.
