Macron Pledges to Make Abortion Rights Irreversible in French Constitution by 2024

Proposal to amend Article 34 of the constitution faces the French State Council next week, followed by Cabinet review; move follows US overturning of federal abortion rights and reflects strong public support.

French President Emmanuel Macron plans to present a draft project to the State Council, France's highest administrative court, next week, solidifying abortion rights in the constitution by 2024, making them 'irreversible.'
The announcement follows the overturning of federal abortion rights in the United States last year where the Supreme Court stripped women of constitutional protections for abortion, pushing France towards unconditionally guaranteeing these rights.
Amending the French Constitution necessitates a referendum or approval by three-fifths of both chambers of parliament united in a 'congress.' Most constitutional changes in post-war France have been approved through a congressional vote.
The French constitution's Article 34 will be amended to incorporate: 'the law determines the conditions by which the freedom of women to have recourse to an abortion, which is guaranteed.'
According to a November 2022 opinion poll, 89 percent of respondents were in favor of constitutionalizing abortion rights, and 234,000 abortions were performed in France in the previous year.