March 5 (AFP) – France’s upper and lower houses of parliament on Wednesday approved a bill that would constitutionally guarantee women’s right to abortion. It will be the first country in the world to enshrine the right to abortion in its constitution.

The vote, held at the Chateau de Versailles, saw 780 votes in favor and 72 against, far exceeding the three-fifths majority needed to amend the constitution. The passage of the bill was greeted with a standing ovation by lawmakers.

President Emmanuel Macron said it was “the pride of France” and a “universal message”.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who called for the passage on the floor, called it “a historic step,” but said abortion rights were “at the mercy of policymakers” and were still “under threat” around the world. It was pointed out that there was a He cited cases such as the United States, where a ruling recognizing the right to abortion was overturned by the Federal Supreme Court, and Poland, where the constitutional court imposed a near-total ban on abortion.

Abortion was legalized in France in 1975 at the initiative of then-Health Minister Simone Veil.

In a nationwide survey conducted in November 2022 by the French Institute of Public Opinion (Ifop), 86% of respondents supported enshrining the right to abortion in the constitution.

At Trocadero Square in Paris, cheers erupted from the crowd of supporters watching the vote on a large screen.

A 46-year-old woman with her 12-year-old daughter said, “I’m happy because our rights are constantly being threatened everywhere and the situation is only getting worse.” “If men were the ones who got pregnant, the right to abortion would have been written into the Constitution in 1792 (during the French Revolution).”

Slogans such as “My body, my choice” were displayed on the Eiffel Tower. A special ceremony to celebrate the constitutional amendment is also planned on March 8, International Women’s Day, which is designated by the United Nations (UN). (c)AFP/Toni Cerda with Alice Hackman in Paris