France’s National Assembly moved to enshrine a woman’s guaranteed freedom to access voluntary termination of pregnancy through a constitutional amendment. Backed by Emmanuel Macron’s government, the proposal will next be debated in the Senate, where a conservative majority could shape the conversation and influence the final wording.
If enacted, the reform would establish a constitutional baseline that would stand as a pioneering model on this issue worldwide. The measure explicitly protects a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy and passed with 493 votes in favor to 30 against.
Following the vote, Justice Minister Éric Dupond-Moretti described the moment as historic for both the National Assembly and the Government.
The proposal adds a clause to Article 34 stating: “Law, guaranteed freedom for women resorting to voluntary termination of pregnancy.”
Decline in other countries
During the debate, most parties stressed that abortion rights are not in question in France today, but there is an open discussion about how those rights are protected. The trends observed in other nations, including the United States, Poland, and Hungary, were cited as cautionary examples.
The concern is that France could face a drift similar to those cases. The constitutional guarantee would shield women from potential erosion of abortion rights through ordinary legislation pushed by a majority with conservative leanings.
Éléonore Caroit, a Macron-supporting representative for the Latin American and Caribbean constituency, noted that the vote transcends partisanship because the fight for women’s rights benefits all citizens, not a single political group.
In addition to support from groups aligned with Macron, left-leaning parties such as the socialists, insoumis, and ecologists voiced backing for the project. On the right, some Republicans expressed reservations, proposing limits tied to the protection of life or to conscientious objection by medical personnel, yet MPs still chose to vote in favor.
Marines Le Pen’s far-right deputies shared concerns about overreach but did not block the motion, focusing instead on other domestic issues, including the grievances of farmers.
The process will continue in the Senate
With broad approval in the lower house, the bill proceeds to the Senate, where adoption must occur in exactly the same form by February. The Senate’s outlook remains uncertain, but the government has framed the proposal as a “guaranteed freedom” rather than a categorical “right” in an effort to find common ground with the upper chamber.
If the Senate also adopts the proposal, lawmakers from both chambers would meet in Versailles and push the bill forward with a three-fifths majority to become law.
Historically, there is a single example of abortion being embedded in a constitutional charter: the 1974 constitution of the former Yugoslavia. France has allowed abortion since 1975, following legislation championed by Simone Veil, a pivotal figure whose legacy continues to influence many current lawmakers.