A hundred people gathered in Paris on Saturday, Place de la République, at the call of various feminist collectives to defend the right to abortion, denouncing in particular the "obstacle course" that according to these associations represents access to abortion.

Extension of the legal deadline, reopening of closed abortion centers, extension of the practice to midwives ... A hundred people gathered on Saturday in Paris at the call of feminist associations and unions to demand better access to 'abortion.

“5,000 women go to have abortions abroad each year because they are out of time,” explains Céline Piques, spokesperson for the Dare feminism! Movement.

"For many reasons: they may have presented themselves quite late in an abortion center, or they may be faced with a lack of space, too long delays, deserts in certain areas ...", adds t - during this first mobilization "in real life" since the Covid.

An "obstacle course" also denounced, in mid-September, by the delegation for the rights of women to the National Assembly which demands to increase from 12 to 14 weeks of pregnancy the legal limit for performing a surgical abortion.

A measure which will be the subject, with the abandonment of the double conscience clause, of a bill studied soon.

"Fourteen weeks will not make it possible to completely reduce the number of women who today will still have abortions abroad. We would like harmonization at European level. In the Netherlands, for example, it is 22 weeks", explains Céline Pikes.

"Doctors refuse to perform abortion and reorient women"

"IVG = My choice", "Aborto legal", "The Veil law we are watching", could we read on the signs brandished by the demonstrators gathered on the Place de la République in Paris, particularly at the appeal of association and collectives like Dare feminism, Les Effronté-es or the Maison des femmes de Paris, but also unions: the UNEF, the CGT, the CFDT ... Because even if the rate of abortion has slightly increased in 2019, with more than 232,000 abortions performed in France, "the account is not there", judge the organizations in a press release.

In particular because of the closure of many abortion centers (CIVG), the ban on midwives to perform instrumental abortions, the lack of information among young people and the existence of a double clause of consciousness.

"A doctor can refuse to perform an act that he considers contrary to his values, but he has a legal duty to reorient the person. However, today, doctors refuse to perform abortion and reorient women. It is illegal! We must enforce the law ", claims Claire Charlès, president of Les Effronté · es for whom," in fact, the right to abortion is questioned in many ways ".