PRESS RELEASE – September 28, 2021
Abortion prevention policy urgently needed in France
Press release: The 2020 abortion statistics published today by the National Directorate for Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (“DREES”), show a slight decrease in abortions during the lockdown in connexion with a lower number of conceptions as early as from March 2020 onward.
During the lockdown, activists advocated to extend the legally allowed abortion deadlines predicting a supposedly higher number of late abortions. Yet the statistics show that nothing like this happened.
Alliance VITA has observed that the social demands of a small group of activists for more abortion deregulation, divert public attention from the real hardships pregnant women are confronted with in the case of an unexpected pregnancy.
Throughout the COVID crisis, the real problem for women has been that of obtaining reliable information and support, especially for the women who are put under pressure to abort by their relatives, mainly by their partners. Moreover, year after year, the statistics report that the highest abortion rates are recorded among women aged 20 – 29 but have steadily increased to the 25 – 29 age group, even though professionals have issued warnings about postponing the age of motherhood.
When an IFOP survey polled French citizens on their perception of abortion in October 2020, 92% deemed that women experience long-term psychological consequences following abortion, and 73% think that society should provide more assistance to help prevent abortions.
Caroline Roux, Alliance VITA’s Assistant General Delegate and Coordinator of the Listening Services declares:
“We are calling on the government to be responsible and not give in to pressure from ideological groups who sidetrack women’s genuine needs. In order to implement a genuine abortion prevention policy, an unbiased epidemiological study investigating the causes, conditions, and consequences of abortion is long overdue. Particularly, this might help define a more adequate policy to support the women willing to avoid abortion. This in-depth study could also help discern and understand the pressures exerted on women, particularly from men. Another issue is still untackled for providing social assistance to help women reconcile the issues of maternity, higher education and professional career.»
