Senate (Illustration) -

A. GELEBART / 20 MINUTES

A two-step vote.

This Tuesday, the Senate voted on Tuesday an amendment to the bioethics bill excluding single women from the extension of the assisted reproduction, tarnishing the flagship measure of the text which could however be reinstated by the deputies.

The upper house, which examines the bioethics bill at second reading, rejected by 122 votes in favor and 174 against (33 abstentions) the amendments made by LR senators and centrists aimed at purely and simply removing Article 1 opening the assisted procreation for female couples and single women.

But the Senate then adopted by show of hands an amendment by Senator LR Dominique de Legge providing for limiting the opening of assisted reproduction to couples of women.

Maintenance of the medical criterion for heterosexual couples

“PMA is finally open to all female couples, but not to single women.

The Senate is moving forward, but backwards… ”, the environmental senator Esther Benbassa immediately reacted on Twitter.

As in first reading, the senators excluded these new beneficiaries from the support by Social Security and maintained the requirement of a medical criterion for heterosexual couples.

For the Secretary of State in charge of Children and Families Adrien Taquet, these modifications would amount "to enshrining a formal right and not a real right".

Harsh vote on post-mortem assisted reproduction

Just before the suspension of the session, the Senate again voted, by show of hands, an amendment by Daniel Chasseing (Independents) opening the possibility of “post mortem” PMA, that is to say the continuation of the parental project after death. spouse.

The result of the count was loudly contested on the right of the hemicycle, with LR senators unsuccessfully demanding a new vote.

"It's a scandal," exclaimed Senator LR Jérôme Bascher, for whom the chairman of the meeting Georges Patient (majority RDPI En Marche) "was very openly mistaken".

Just before, the Senate had rejected a similar amendment by 132 votes in favor and 192 against, by public ballot.

"Surrogacy, red line for the government"

The very principle of extending assisted reproduction has given rise to a long debate, "a debate between two conceptions of life," according to Senator LR Anne Chain-Larché, for whom this provision will "inevitably lead tomorrow" to surrogacy ( surrogacy).

"Surrogacy is a red line for the government and it will remain so in the future", assured Adrien Taquet.

For Bruno Retailleau, leader of the LR senators, "the PMA without a father is to put the will of adults ahead of the interests of children".

On the left, Laurence Cohen (predominantly Communist CRCE) denounced "postures", Bernard Jomier (PS) "a much more radical speech" than during the first reading, a year ago.

The Senate has yet to decide on Article 1 thus amended.

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