The Senate dominated by the right opposition narrowly adopted on Tuesday at first reading, thanks to the votes of the left, the bioethics bill which opens medically assisted procreation (PMA) to single women and couples of women.
A largely revised text
The text, largely revised by the Senate, will now go on second reading to the National Assembly, which had largely adopted it at first reading on October 15. In an almost full hemicycle, the bill was voted by 153 votes in favor (overwhelming majority of PS groups, LREM, RDSE with radical majority and CRCE with communist majority). The right-wing senatorial majority voted overwhelmingly (97 of the 144 LRs, 26 of the 51 centrists, 7 of the 13 Independents). 45 senators abstained.
Among the modifications made at first reading, the senators reserved reimbursement by Social Security only for LDCs motivated by medical criteria. They also rewrote the new mode of filiation for the children of couples of women as well as the provisions concerning the access to the origins of the adults born of a PMA with donor. The Senate deleted the article authorizing the self-preservation of gametes, and prohibited all chimeric embryos as well as transgenic embryos.
Senate still opposed to surrogacy
The Senate again expressed its opposition to gestation for others (GPA) by excluding the transcription to the civil status of birth certificates drawn up abroad which mention two fathers or mention as mother a woman other than the one who gave birth.