France’s constitutional right to abortion: symbolism over substance

In March 2024, France’s Parliament passed an amendment to enshrine abortion in the country’s Constitution. The proposal followed the US Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v Jackson to overturn the right to abortion that had been set out in Roe v Wade in 1973. The French President Emmanuel Macron introduced the draft amendment as a response to the US backlash against abortion rights, sending a ‘message of solidarity’ with those affected by abortion prohibitions. Feminist groups and activists had been calling for Macron to recognize sexual and reproductive rights including abortion in the French Constitution since his election in 2017. To avoid the need for a referendum, the proposed amendment required majority support (at least three-fifths) of both the lower and upper houses of Parliament. It far exceeded that threshold, with 780 out of 925 possible votes in favour of the change, and just 72 against. While this has been seen as a landmark step in the recognition of abortion rights, there remain issues with access to abortion and broader reproductive healthcare in France.