This green light from the Laws Committee comes a week after that given to another constitutional bill, with the same main objective and carried by the presidential Renaissance party.

But whose examination in session is only scheduled for November 28.

The competition between these texts did not prevent the presidential majority from voting in favor of the LFI proposal, not without some tension when Renaissance wanted to bring the wording closer to that of its own text, before changing its mind.

"No one can infringe the right to voluntary termination of pregnancy and contraception": unlike the text of the Macronist deputies, that of LFI also mentions contraception.

It is a "corollary", argued their leader Mathilde Panot, because "generally, we attack the rights to contraception when we want to attack abortion".

Ms. Panot also defended the formulation "no one can harm", considered more "inclusive" than that of Renaissance ("No woman can be deprived of the right" to abortion) on the grounds that it does not exclude transgender people.

The LR group recalled its "conditions" to support constitutionalization: "we must be sure that it does not call into question the conditionality of access to abortion", said MP Aurélien Pradié.

MP RN Pascale Bordes also said she feared making the right to abortion "unconditional and absolute".

Arguments aimed at masking hostility from the far right to abortion according to LFI, which hailed "a historic victory" after the vote in committee.

Even in the event of a positive vote in session, the inclusion of the right to abortion in the Constitution is currently facing opposition from the Senate, which rejected in October a text similar to that of LFI.

However, any proposal for a constitutional law must be voted on in the same terms by the two assemblies, before being submitted to a referendum.

This last step could be avoided if it is a bill, that is to say a text carried by the executive.

“We would be ready to vote for it,” said Ms. Panot, worried that a referendum would give rise to “a campaign where anti-choice movements would be galvanized”.

The defenders of constitutionalization argue that the right to abortion must be better protected, in the light of the challenges observed recently in the United States or even in Europe.

In addition to that on abortion, LFI has included 11 other texts in its "parliamentary niche" of November 24, the day on which it will set the agenda in the hemicycle.

Among them, the deputies also adopted Wednesday in committee the one proposing "the creation of a body of civil servants for those accompanying students with disabilities (AESH)".

But with amendments emptying it of its substance, lamented the Insoumis.

The text proposing to ban bullfighting was rejected in committee, as was the proposal for a commission of inquiry into "Uber Files" and "the role of the President of the Republic in the establishment of Uber in France" .

The deputies did not adopt either in committee the proposal to raise the minimum wage to 1,600 euros net.

These rejections will not prevent the texts from being examined on November 24 in session, provided that time permits, the closing of the debates being scheduled for midnight.

© 2022 AFP