France; a country known for revolutions and the start of new ideas has started a new path to further their own enlightenment on women’s rights. On March 4th, 2024, the French parliament, with a 780-72 vote, voted to make abortion officially legal and be a part of France’s constitution.
For the most part, most European countries have legalized or decriminalized abortion, contrary to what people see in other parts of the world. Most notably, dating back to about fifty years ago, Yugoslavia made the right to have an abortion a part of its constitution. However, the recent movements in France and the entombing of abortion in France’s constitution come from across the world, from the United States of America.
The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, stated that recent actions in the U.S. (most notably, the overturning of Roe v. Wade on June 24th, 2022) had directly influenced his decision to push abortion laws and legislation forward. In recent years, many laws and restrictions regarding abortion have been passed in different parts of the United States. One of the most and most commonly discussed is the almost complete abortion ban in Texas that was put into effect on July 1, 2022, a controversial decision that has led to countless protests and responses in other states (including California) to protect the right to an abortion. Macron stated that he did not wish to have the women of France have the same problem as women in the U.S., thereby pushing to address abortion in the French constitution.
Macron desired to start a wave of women’s rights laws not only in France but in its neighboring nations as well — specifically, influencing the European Union in the European Union Charter. The European Union social charter covers everything related to legal and social reforms, non-discrimination, education and employment, housing, and health. His wish to bring this to the European Union was met with hesitant agreement, but his words have yet to prove anything, as he has not made any official statements on the matter.
While no one can deny that making abortion a part of France’s constitution is a major step towards liberating and empowering women, most people critiquing Macron have brought up the fact that France is not the safest place for women. Sexism continues to consume France’s population as female-related crimes and discrimination continue to skyrocket. The idea behind making abortion an irrevocable right has made an impact in women’s rights, but when looking at France’s overall treatment of women, it’s only a small footstep. This idea creates the main point most critics have made: address the blatant discrimination towards women in France with the same sense of urgency Macron addressed abortion.
The fact that abortion was made an official part of the constitution is a huge win for women’s rights in France and Europe as a whole. The consequences of this action could have a widespread effect that can hopefully achieve Macron’s goal: to make abortion a fundamental right in Europe and spread his ideas to the Western world.
