On Wednesday, after long debates, the Senate, with a majority on the right, voted in favor of the inclusion in the Constitution of the "freedom of women" to resort to abortion, a formulation which abandons the notion of " right” dear to the left, but allows the parliamentary shuttle to continue.

Even if there is still a long way to go before a possible final adoption by Parliament - which should also be followed by a referendum - the socialist group immediately welcomed a "major step forward for women's rights", while the environmental group hailed "a historic victory".

By 166 votes for and 152 against, the vote was tight.

“Historical”, also reacted on Twitter the leader of the LFI group in the National Assembly Mathilde Panot, also rapporteur of the text in the hemicycle.

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

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

Act “responsibly”

A wording that no longer refers to the “right” to abortion, which the left unanimously deplores, while assuming to have acted “responsibly” to allow the parliamentary shuttle to continue.

Because a pure and simple rejection of the text by the Senate would have resulted in its burial.

A proposed constitutional law must indeed be voted on in the same terms by both chambers, then submitted to a referendum to be adopted definitively.

Unlike what happens with ordinary laws, the National Assembly cannot have “the last word” in the event of disagreement with the Senate.



Last October, the Senate rejected by 139 votes for and 172 votes against a first constitutional bill brought by the ecologist Mélanie Vogel and co-signed by senators from seven of the eight groups in the Senate, with the exception of the Republicans .

The session was briefly suspended after an incident in the gallery: a group of young activists disrupted the intervention of Senator Stéphane Ravier (Reconquest!) to cries of "Protect abortion", before being evacuated by bailiffs.


Company

Abortion: The Assembly votes in favor of the inclusion of the right to abortion in the Constitution

Company

Abortion: The road remains long before an inscription in the Constitution

  • Company

  • Senate

  • National Assembly

  • Abortion

  • Constitution

  • Parliament