While the French National Assembly has just adopted a law for extending the scope of numerical obstruction to abortion, Alliance VITA has filed suit in Paris against the Health Minister for the inexact or biased information published on the government’s official abortion website.
Particularly at issue is a video entitled « Are there any psychological consequences after abortion? » in which a gynecologist asserts that “there are no long-term psychological side-effects for abortions”. This information goes against the 2010 report from the General Inspection of Social Affairs (IGAS), which emphasizes the lack of objective evaluation on post-abortion psychological consequences which “often remain an emotionally challenging event”.
This denial of any long-term post-abortion consequences is misleading for women, not only when they hesitate, but when they do experience post-abortion suffering long after the event. In their suit, Alliance VITA also condemns certain inexact information in the abortion guide dated 2014, whereas Public Health Code article L.2212-3 states that it must be updated annually.
During the parliamentary debates there were several criticisms that the bill would represent a serious attack on freedom of speech, and create confusion in penal law, therefore the Constitutional Council will undoubtedly be called upon to give a verdict on the final text.
“It is noteworthy that one of the latest government laws severely infringes on freedom of speech and women’s rights to be correctly informed on abortion. It’s time to discard misconceptions and find new solutions. Abortion is often a terrible tragedy imposed on women faced with an unplanned pregnancy. In order to genuinely promote equality between sexes, women should be helped to avoid abortion, an act that is never undertaken lightly. It is a critical abnegation and an unbelievable political scandal that abortion prevention was never addressed during the latest debates by French Health Minister, Laurence Rossignol.”
“France’s minister for women’s rights, Laurence Rossignol, explained to the Senate that abortion does not interrupt a life. She nevertheless requested 2 years of prison for anyone publishing false information on abortion!” In the end, the truth is being censured and women are the first victims of this official denial. Alliance VITA refuses to be intimidated by these threats and will continue its service in favor of truthful information and its campaign for abortion prevention. It’s a question of social justice and humanity”
The IFOP opinion poll results on the French and Abortion published in September 2016 found that 72% think society should help women more in order to avoid having recourse to abortion and 89% believe that an abortion leaves painful psychological marks.
