France becomes world’s first country to enshrine abortion in constitution

French lawmakers approve bill in a 780-72 vote at an exceptional joint session of Parliament.

French lawmakers have approved a bill that will enshrine the right to an abortion in the Constitution of France in a joint session of Parliament at the Palace of Versailles.

The bill was approved in an overwhelming 780-72 vote on Monday, and nearly the entire joint session stood in a long-standing ovation.

There were celebratory scenes across the country as women’s rights activists hailed the measure promised by President Emmanuel Macron following a rollback of abortion rights in court rulings in the United States.

The move makes France the first country in the world to offer explicit protection for terminating a pregnancy in its basic law.

Both houses of Parliament, the National Assembly and the Senate, have already adopted a bill to amend Article 34 of the constitution to specify a woman’s right to an abortion is guaranteed.