French President Emmanuel Macron has enacted a law that places the right to abortion at the highest level of the national legal framework. The official document was published in the Fifth Republic’s gazette on March 9, marking a watershed moment in French constitutional history.
The country thus becomes the first in the world to enshrine a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy within its constitution. The amendment to the 1958 Constitution states that “the right of women to freely resort to voluntary termination of pregnancy is guaranteed by law.” This addition represents the twenty-fifth amendment to France’s founding text and is the first to be added since 2008.
Parliamentary records show that 780 deputies supported the amendment while 72 opposed it, underscoring broad political consensus behind the reform. The ceremony confirming the law took place in Paris on March 8, which is observed internationally as International Women’s Day.
Meanwhile, in Russia, discussions surrounding abortion policies have intensified. In the Pskov region, a draft measure proposes fines for individuals who encourage a pregnancy termination, signaling a tightening of public policy around abortion access. Official statistics reported by Rosstat indicate a decline in abortion numbers nationwide, a trend that has been accompanied by a rise in sterilization rates among women in some regions.
Additionally, there have been controversial proposals by some former lawmakers concerning the exchange of financial or material incentives related to pregnancy outcomes, including discussions about compensation arrangements that would affect women considering abortion. These developments illustrate the contrasting trajectories in how different countries are approaching reproductive choice and related social policy.