On Wednesday, February 23, the French Parliament voted to extend the voluntary termination of pregnancy from 12 to 14 weeks. This vote aims to address the shortage of practitioners and the increasing closure of centers where abortions are performed.
The measure took a little over a year to be definitively approved by Parliament. The removal of the “specific conscience clause” that allows a doctor to refuse to perform an abortion had been blocking the advancement of the legislative proposal. Its parliamentary journey started in October 2020. The Senate had not allowed this clause to be erased.
This text was initiated by opposition deputy Marie-Noรซlle Battistel. According to her, 2,000 women resort to having an abortion outside of French borders because they have exceeded the legal time limit. These are “the most vulnerable women, the very young, those furthest from the healthcare system, women who have the least access to health information, those without means of transportation, or those who are victims of violence,” she explains.
This text also allows midwives to perform instrumental abortions. It was approved by 135 votes to 47. The left was in favor while the far right opposed it.
This news resonates with Colombia, which voted on Monday, February 21, to decriminalize abortion up to 24 weeks for any reason.
