On January 24, lawmakers approved an amendment to Article 34, striking a balance between a proposal passed by the National Assembly in late 2022 enshrining a “right” to abortion and the Senate’s position, adopted a few months later and backing the concept of “freedom.”
The law determines the conditions in which are carried out the guaranteed freedom of a woman to turn to an abortion.
After the amendment is passed on January 30, it will go to the Senate, as any constitutional amendment must be equally accepted by both the National Assembly and the Senate before the two chambers adopt the amendment at a constitutional congress.
Macron’s Renaissance Party, lawmakers from the left and the Liot coalition, as well as two Republicans and two representatives from the National Rally, supported the amendment.
Thirteen MPs voted against it. The lawmakers expressed concern that the “guaranteed freedom” language in the text would expand legal limits. However, Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti assured that the revision would not create “an absolute and limitless right.”
The government has proposed to convene a joint congress of both chambers on March 5 to vote on the amendment. If the upper house approves a different wording, the text would go back to the National Assembly, which would have to come up with another version that both houses would agree on.
