Abortion in the Constitution : The Forgotten Debate

In voting for the constitutional bill to register abortion in the French Constitution, the Senate have submitted to pressures and put an end to any democratic debate. By registering a “guaranteed freedom” for women to resort to abortion, the Senate have in turn diverted the Constitution from its purpose by creating an enforceable right to abortion.

By that vote, the Senate has failed in its specific mission for the defence of freedom and fundamental rights, such as the freedom of conscience of health workers, which is endangered by this bill.  By constitutionalising a “guaranteed freedom” whose impact is not precisely known, who can guarantee that we will not one day end up with abortions with no time limitation or according to the sex of the foetus?

Surely, the question of abortion deserves better. Remember that women with the lowest incomes are the most likely to resort to abortion, according to the DREES (Direction de la recherche, des études, de l’évaluation et des statistiques – Directorate for Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics). Note that abortion may also sometimes be the consequence of violence against women. For 40% of the 201,000 women concerned each year by domestic violence, it initiated during the first pregnancy.

By acting as the registration chamber for the Government and the National Assembly, the Senate has completely missed the reality and the difficulties which push women towards abortion.

According to Alliance VITA which for over 20 years has been providing support for women in difficult situations, the registration of abortion in the Constitution is not only unjustified and dangerous but also totally disconnected from the social urgencies. Through this constitutional revision, the government is obstructing any policy for the prevention of abortion at a time when the abortion figures have never been higher.

Alliance VITA is calling for an investigation into the causes and consequences of abortion and the establishment of a true abortion prevention policy.