Rorey Bosotti, BBC News
May 30, 2025
The French scientist who created the abortion pill has died at the age of 98.
Étienne-Émile Baulieu helped develop the oral drug RU-486, also known as mifepristone, which has provided millions of women across the world with a safe and inexpensive alternative to a surgical abortion.
Dr Baulieu died at his home in Paris on Friday, his widow confirmed in a statement.
The presence of Pope Francis, who joined the meeting of the world’s leading industrialised nations, might have influenced this outcome, according to Meloni's right-hand man.
By Gerardo Fortuna
14/06/2024
In a powerful show of influence, Italy’s hard right leader managed to scrap any reference to safe abortion in the final declaration of the group of industrialised democracies.
The final wording of the G7 final communique has not included any mention of abortion as was the case at last year’s summit in Hiroshima.
The inclusion of women’s right to abortion in France’s constitution is significant and welcome – but it’s not quite the ‘pioneering’ move it’s being called.
Tanja Ignjatovic, Belgrade BIRN
March 8, 2024
The recent decision of the French parliament to include the right to abortion in the constitution has been met with emotion by women and feminist activists. Although France legalised abortion back in 1975, it was believed that a constitutional provision would make this right irreversible. It was even called a “revolutionary move”, with France being hailed as the “first country in the world to enshrine the right to abortion in its constitution”, thus becoming a “pioneer in guaranteeing freedoms related to abortion”.
In the current era, the decision of the French parliament is undoubtedly significant. It is mentioned that it is a reaction to the 2022 decision of the United States Supreme Court, which overturned the Roe v. Wade ruling, which had guaranteed the right to abortion for all women up to the 24th week of pregnancy since 1973. Following this, several federal states either banned or significantly restricted access to abortion. This served as a reminder to us all that, once achieved, women’s rights (in any area) are not inviolable and irreversible.
Reuters
March 8, 2024
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that he wants the European Union to guarantee the right to an abortion in its Charter of Fundamental Rights.
…"We're going to lead this fight in our continent, in our Europe, where reactionary forces are attacking women's rights before attacking the rights of minorities," he told the crowd attending the ceremony in Paris, in front of the Justice Ministry. "This is why I want to enshrine that guaranteed freedom to abortion in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union."
Continued: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/frances-macron-wants-make-abortion-right-eu-level-2024-03-08/
France has inscribed the guaranteed right to abortion in its constitution, a powerful message of support for women’s rights on International Women’s Day
By ANGELA CHARLTON and JADE LE DELEY, Associated Press
March 8, 2024
PARIS -- France inscribed the guaranteed right to abortion in its constitution Friday, in a world first and a powerful message of support to women around the globe on International Women’s Day.
A woman from Argentina, a couple from Miami and a man from Czechia were among those gathered on the polished cobblestones of Place Vendome in Paris to watch the historic event unfurl in an outdoor ceremony open the public. Women in the crowd recalled their own abortions, or lifelong battles for reproductive rights.
Some had grumbled it was mere politicking from Macron, yet enshrining the right to abortion felt like a rare moment of unity
Agnès Poirier
Wed 6 Mar 2024
There was little doubt that the French parliament would reach a majority on Monday, when it gathered in a special session to enshrine the right to abortion into its constitution. But even so, it was an electric moment. At the Palace of Versailles, big enough to host the 925 MPs and senators eligible to vote, the scene was set to the solemn drumming of the republican guard.
Broadcast live on every news channel and beamed on to a giant screen at the Paris Trocadéro, opposite the Eiffel Tower, French citizens watched as the national assembly’s first female president, Yaël Braun-Pivet, looking calm and focused, walked towards the packed chamber to declare the hearing open. Passing republican guards in full regalia, sabres drawn, forming a guard of honour, there was total silence as she made her entrance to make history, as France became the world’s first country to guarantee women’s rights to abortion.
Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/06/france-abortion-rights-emmanuel-macron
Other Governments Should Follow Suit, Improve Protections for Reproductive Freedom
Hillary Margolis, Human Rights Watch
March 5, 2024
Yesterday at a special congress in Versailles, France’s parliament voted by an overwhelming majority to add the freedom to have an abortion to the country’s constitution. Though abortion has been legal in France since 1975, the historic move aims to establish a safeguard in the face of global attacks on abortion access and sexual and reproductive health rights: President Emmanuel Macron initiated it after the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which had constitutionalized the freedom to have an abortion as part of the right to privacy.
The vote, a global first in introducing explicit abortion protections in a national constitution, is a win for civil society organizations that have pushed for reproductive justice. This is an important move to uphold the right to autonomy, ensuring people can make informed decisions about their own lives, bodies, health, and wellbeing. That includes choices about sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion.
Continued: https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/03/05/france-protects-abortion-guaranteed-freedom-constitution
French lawmakers have overwhelmingly approved a bill to enshrine abortion rights in France’s constitution, making it the only country to explicitly guarantee a woman’s right to voluntarily terminate a pregnancy
By BARBARA SURK and NICOLAS GARRIGA, Associated Press
March 4, 2024
PARIS -- French lawmakers on Monday overwhelmingly approved a bill to enshrine abortion rights in France's constitution, making it the only country to explicitly guarantee a woman’s right to voluntarily terminate a pregnancy.
The historic move was proposed by President Emmanuel Macron as a way to prevent the kind of rollback of abortion rights seen in the United States in recent years, and the vote during a special joint session of France's parliament drew a long standing ovation among lawmakers.
France's upgrading of abortion rights is a bold political message in a world that is increasingly veering to the far right.
By Allan Woods, Staff Reporter
Monday, March 4, 2024
PARIS—However linked the two countries' histories, however shared their values, it is difficult to imagine Canada following in France's footsteps to enshrine the right to abortion in the Constitution.
French lawmakers did that Monday in a historic vote at Château de Versailles that puts the ability to end a pregnancy right up there with the country’s famous motto: "Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité."
The conservative-dominated Sénat, with 267 votes to 50, approved the bill to constitutionalize abortion as a 'guaranteed freedom.' President Emmanuel Macron will call a joint session of Parliament on March 4 for a final vote on the reform.
Le Monde with AP and AFP
February 28, 2024
France's Sénat on Wednesday, February 28, adopted a bill to enshrine a woman’s right to an abortion in the Constitution, clearing a key hurdle for legislation promised by President Emmanuel Macron in response to a rollback in abortion rights in the United States.
With 267 votes in favor and 50 against, the Sénat voted in favor of constitutionalizing abortion. Wednesday's vote came after the Assemblée Nationale, overwhelmingly approved the proposal in January. The measure now goes before a joint session of Parliament for its expected approval by a three-fifths majority next week.
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