After a passionate debate, the senators adopted on Wednesday evening a proposed constitutional law LFI, which had been approved in November, at first reading, by the National Assembly.

The text has however been completely rewritten, via an amendment by Senator LR Philippe Bas.

He proposes to complete article 34 of the Constitution with the following formula: “The law determines the conditions under which the freedom of the woman to put an end to her pregnancy is exercised”.

A wording that no longer refers to the "right" to abortion initially present.

"It is a strong signal because the Senate does not usually vote in favor of women's rights" but "it is not the right writing, for us, it is important to include abortion in the Constitution as a law”, comments to AFP Sarah Durocher, co-president of Family Planning.

A "positive signal" but a "dangerous" wording

For Fabienne El Khoury, spokesperson for the association “Osez le féminisme!

this absence of the term “right” is synonymous with “incomplete victory”.

The wording proposed by the Senate "seems potentially dangerous to us", since it could allow the appearance of a new law defining more restrictive conditions of access to abortion, warns Suzy Rojtman, member of the collective "Abortion in Europe - Women decide”.

She nevertheless considers the favorable vote of the senators as a "positive signal", which "allows us to continue the parliamentary shuttle".

A pure and simple rejection of the text by the Senate would have buried it: a constitutional bill must be voted on in the same terms by both chambers, then submitted to a referendum.

In France, there is still a long way to go before a possible final adoption of the text by Parliament, which should be followed by a referendum.

A dreaded ordeal, as it could, fear some associations, mobilize anti-abortion networks.

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