French Senate Backs Bill Ending Any ‘Conjugal Duty’ in Marriage

Overview

• The Senate, which approved the cross-party bill Thursday, recorded a 209–2 vote as most of the right abstained.
• The text clarifies the Civil Code so the marital “community of life” creates no obligation for spouses to have sexual relations.
• The law is not final because a drafting gap with the National Assembly remains, so a joint committee of both chambers must now agree on a common text.
• Senators debated wording that would swap “sexual relations” for the broader “relations intimes,” yet the chamber ultimately kept the Assembly’s phrasing after concerns over clarity.
• The push follows a 2025 European Court of Human Rights ruling that fault divorces for lack of sex breached rights, and backers say the change will teach consent and help deter marital sexual violence.