The Senate approves the inclusion of abortion within the Constitution, the Congress meets on Monday | EUROtoday

Published on : 02/28/2024 – 8:07 p.m.Modified : 02/28/2024 – 8:32 p.m.

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“We are writing History,” welcomed La France insoumise MP Mathilde Panot. The inclusion of abortion within the Constitution handed its most delicate stage in Parliament on Wednesday February 28 with the favorable vote of the Senate, eradicating the final doubts surrounding the ultimate adoption of this historic reform throughout a Congress in Versailles convened beginning Monday.

Despite the reluctance of sure senators from the fitting and the middle, the bulk within the higher home, the hemicycle declared itself in favor of “guaranteed freedom” for voluntary termination of being pregnant, with out modifying the federal government's textual content regardless of lengthy semantic debates.

Emmanuel Macron welcomes “a decisive step”

The President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron instantly convened the Congress of the 2 chambers of Parliament on Monday March 4, the ultimate stage of the parliamentary highway to revision, welcoming “a decisive step” after the Senate vote.

The constitutional revision, already adopted virtually unanimously by the National Assembly, obtained the help of 267 votes to 50 on the Luxembourg Palace, after greater than three hours of typically agitated discussions on this often very peaceable hemicycle.

“It’s a huge feminist victory”

“The Senate has written a new page in women's rights,” mentioned Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti, who assures that France could be “the first country in the world” to guard abortion in its basic textual content.

“It’s a huge feminist victory,” responded environmentalist senator Mélanie Vogel, welcoming “a major step forward” and “a message sent to feminists around the world.” Many left-wing senators described within the chamber their “emotion” at a “strong” and “exhilarating” second. “We are writing History”, added the chief of the LFI deputies on

The lengthy highway in direction of constitutionalization, acclaimed by the left, public opinion and associations defending girls's rights, will now have the ability to attain Congress on Monday.

Congress assembly on Monday

Four days earlier than March 8, International Women's Day, this date might be very symbolic. A 3-fifths majority might be obligatory within the prestigious Congress corridor of the Château des Yvelines for definitive adoption, however there is no such thing as a doubt in view of the successive votes of the 2 Assemblies.

The Congress has solely met twice because the head of state got here to energy: in 2017 and 2018, every time in July, the President of the Republic set out the broad outlines of his coverage earlier than nationwide illustration. The final constitutional revision dates again to 2008.

Faced with the questioning of the fitting to abortion within the United States and in sure European international locations, the chief had made this reform considered one of its priorities, leading to a compromise textual content regardless of its lack of majority. in each bedrooms.

“The French expect us all to collectively live up to popular expectations, live up to past battles, live up to the universal vocation of France,” launched the Minister of Justice.

Semantic debate

The Senate was the toughest to persuade: the three leaders of the senatorial majority – the president of the Senate Gérard Larcher, the president of the Les Républicains group Bruno Retailleau and that of the centrist group Hervé Marseille – have been in actual fact against the reform.

“Useless laws weaken necessary laws,” regretted Senator LR Muriel Jourda, calling on Parliament to “not react under the influence of emotion”. His colleague Philippe Bas criticized the “strange concept of guaranteed freedom”. “A guarantee is an obligation. Our fear is that creative jurisprudence could create an enforceable right,” continued LR chief Bruno Retailleau.

Eric Dupond-Moretti referred to as on the fitting to “not give in to a form of legalism which would distract us from the main thing”, refuting any creation of an “absolute, limitless right”. The modification to delete the phrase “guarantee” was in the end rejected by greater than 100 votes, as was one other proposal geared toward together with within the Constitution the conscience clause of well being professionals approved to refuse to carry out an abortion.

By all accounts within the Senate, the fixed mobilization of associations and parliamentarians dedicated to reform, in addition to the strain typically exerted by household circles, have pushed sure elected officers into the “for” camp.

For a number of weeks, the senators had been questioned on a number of events by associations and different teams from each camps, together with these against abortion. In anticipation of this suspenseful vote, a number of pro- and anti-constitutionalization rallies occurred across the Senate on Wednesday.

With AFP