It was a highly anticipated vote. With 166 votes against 152, on Wednesday 1 February the Senate, with a right-wing majority, voted to insert the “woman’s freedom” resorting to abortion, a formulation which however abandons the notion of “right” initially desired by the left.
“Women’s freedom to terminate pregnancy”
This change of wording follows the filing, last Friday, of an amendment brought by Senator Les Républicains Philippe Bas, to completely rewrite the bill. Initially, the text voted by deputies last November provided for: “The law guarantees the effectiveness and equal access to the right to voluntary termination of pregnancy. » A judged text “Bad written” by Philippe Bas during its consideration in committee, ruling out full adoption under these conditions. Senator LR had proposed to integrate Article 34 of the Constitution with the following wording: “The law determines the conditions under which the woman’s freedom to interrupt her pregnancy is exercised. »
It seems that this new formulation has allowed the adoption of the text by the senators.
“A historic victory” for abortion
In the wake of the vote, many senators and activists welcomed the adoption of the text. On Twitter, environmentalist Senator Mélanie Vogel, who had made an initial proposal rejected by the Senate on October 19, said she was satisfied: “It’s a historic victory! (…) There are no more debates about whether to do it, just continuing discussions about how to write it.”.
For his part, the former minister and current socialist senator from the Oise Laurence Rossignol considered that the adoption of this text was a “step forward towards the constitutionalization of abortion”.
For her part, the president of the Women’s Foundation wondered about the different options available following this vote: “either Emmanuel Macron listens to the wishes of the 80% of the French in the majority of the two chambers who are in favor of abortion and takes matters into his own hands and formulates a constitutional bill // or returns to the assembly then referendum ».
The text should continue its parliamentary shuttle and return to the National Assembly.
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
