Role model for the world? France enshrines the right to abortion in its constitution. Search for ex-RAF terrorists continues: police search another apartment in Berlin

France writes the right to abortion into the constitution – and wants to be a role model worldwide. Only 72 MPs voted against on Monday, while 780 voted yes. Afterwards, those present stood and applauded. Both chambers had already individually given the green light for the project.

According to broadcaster BFMTV, the words ‘my body, my decision’ were projected on the Eiffel Tower in the evening. People downstairs cheered when the results were announced. They watched the voting on a big screen.

The constitutional amendment ceremony will take place next Friday on International Women’s Day. French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “The pride of France. Universal message».

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal spoke of a “moral debt” to all women who suffered. “We are haunted by the suffering and memory of so many women who suffered for decades from not being able to be free,” he stressed, welcoming the “successful conclusion of a long struggle.”

“Historic” and “a promise”

Many MPs called the vote ‘historic’. The leader of the left-wing party ‘La France insoumise’ (LFI), Mathilde Panot, saw this as a promise for all women worldwide who fought for the right to abortion. France is reflecting on its vocation as a “beacon of human rights,” said Panot, who submitted the first draft of the constitutional amendment.

Many also celebrated the vote as an important symbol as the options for terminating a pregnancy are being significantly limited around the world. In the US, the US Supreme Court struck down the federal right to abortion almost two years ago. Stricter abortion laws came into force in Poland in 2021 following a controversial ruling by the Constitutional Court. Since then, women have not been allowed to have an abortion, even if the unborn child has serious deformities. However, the new Prime Minister Donald Tusk wants to relax abortion rights again.

In France, abortions up to the tenth week of pregnancy have been unpunished since 1975. Pregnant women in France can now have an abortion up to the 14th week, and their health insurance will cover the costs. According to polls, more than 80 percent of French people supported the constitutional change.

In Germany, abortion remains unpunished during the first twelve weeks if the woman seeks advice beforehand. However, the federal government, consisting of the SPD, the Greens and the FDP, is considering removing Section 218 from the Criminal Code.

During the vote in France, hundreds of anti-abortion activists gathered near the congress in Versailles to protest the constitutional change. The Catholic Church also made clear that it continues to reject abortion. According to broadcaster BFMTV, the Pontifical Academy for Life said: “In the era of universal human rights, there can be no ‘right’ to destroy a human life.” (dpa) (aargauerzeitung.ch)