On March 4, 2024, France became the first country in the world to guarantee women the right to an abortion under Article 34. This historical moment was a triumph for women and activists across the country and the world.
The bill was voted on by the National Assembly, the Senate, and both of France’s parliament houses on Monday the 4th, and the group ended with a 780-72 vote. Immediately following the vote, celebrations erupted across France as supporters took to the streets with flags and smiling faces while history was made.
Many French citizens called for the passing of Article 34 during the fight for Roe V. Wade in the United States, which eventually outlawed and overturned a woman’s right to an abortion. The article’s addition to the constitution would make abortion a constitutional freedom in the country, and it would create a different outcome than in the U.S.
French President Emmanuel Macron proposed the move to make abortion a right for all women following the U.S. debate about abortion access.
“We’re going to lead this fight [for women’s rights] in our continent, in our Europe,” Macron stated on Friday, March 8.
Adding Article 34 to the French constitution makes it almost impossible to prevent women from having an abortion procedure in the country. However, no immediate changes will occur because of this addition to the constitution. Lawmakers hope this article will eventually lead to a change in the regulatory legislation in the future. For example, even after the passing of the amendment, it is still not sanctioned to terminate a pregnancy after 15 weeks.
Article 34 is meant to make it increasingly challenging for legislation to deny someone their guaranteed freedom of choice, but it doesn’t mean changes will occur quickly.
The amendment was officially put into the constitution on March 8th, also celebrated as International Women’s Day.
France is one of 67 countries in the world to decriminalize abortion, and the change in the country’s laws is a victory for those in support of the “My Body, My Choice” movement.
Many countries around the world do not have the same laws as France, however, and abortion is a criminal act that could send the convicted to prison for up to ten years.
In 2023 alone, over 300,000 women in Mexico had illegal and unsafe abortions because of the country’s restraints on legal abortions.
With France’s passing of Act 34, many people around the world have become hopeful that access to abortion will soon be a human right in all countries and a decision solely made by the pregnant person.
Although pro-life groups and countries across the world are not happy with the outcome of this ruling, evidence shows that the majority of the French population is in support and favor of a pregnant person making their own decision about abortions.
BBC News said, “Polls show around 85% of the public supported amending the constitution to protect the right to end a pregnancy.”
France has made it clear that March 8th will no longer just be known as International Women’s Day; it will be remembered as a day that changed history.