The inclusion of voluntary termination of pregnancy (abortion) in the French Constitution is debated. On her Instagram account, Sophie Marceau protested against the position of Gérard Larcher, the LR president of the Senate, who opposed this constitutionalization of abortion during his intervention on France Info on January 23.
“You shame our French society”, writes the French actress. “Of course abortion is threatened! Like the fate of women who cannot have recourse to it and whom you put in danger of death.” For Sophie Marceau, Gérard Larcher represents the “patriarchy at its finest: complacent, retrograde and hypocritical.” “As long as there are men like you, we will all be in danger,” she continues.
Gérard Larcher justifies his position by asserting that the Constitution should not serve as a “catalogue of social and societal rights”. He believes that the right to abortion is currently not threatened in France, adding that he would fight to maintain it if it were really in danger.
This difference of opinion takes place in a context where the government, supported by President Emmanuel Macron, seeks to include in the Constitution the legal framework around abortion, in order to prevent possible challenges to this right. While the majority supports constitutionalization to protect the right to abortion, reluctance emerges in particular in the Senate. This opposition raises concerns among feminist activists and those who consider that the Constitution must evolve to reflect societal advances. Especially since this right is being called into question in many countries and we have observed in France an increase in the number of closures of IVG centers over the last ten years.
The editorial team recommends
Using your RTL account, subscribe to the RTL info newsletter to follow all the latest news on a daily basis
Read more
