Context

• Recently the French Senate has approved a bill to include the right to abortion in the Constitution.
• 267 votes were cast in favour of the bill and 50 votes were cast against it.
• It has already been passed in the lower house of France. Now it will be presented in the joint session, from where after getting approval, it will become law. 

Key Points

• This would entail amending Article 34 of the Constitution to specify that the law prescribes the conditions by which women are guaranteed the freedom to resort to abortion.
• None of France's major political parties represented in parliament has questioned the right to abortion, which was decriminalised in 1975.
• The proposal to enshrine abortion rights in the Constitution aims to strengthen abortion rights within the French legal framework.
• It is noteworthy that abortion has been legal in France since 1975 and it was declared legal in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. 

Abortion in other countries

• According to the French government, the right to abortion needs full constitutional protection as efforts are being made to abolish abortion laws in countries like America, Poland and Hungary.
• The Supreme Court in America has abolished the constitutional right to abortion, overturning the historic decision given in the 1973 Roe vs Wade case. Now all the states of America can make their own rules and regulations regarding abortion.
• By doing this, the court has changed its own five-decade old historic decision where women were given legal status to get abortions.
• Europe is also trying to reduce abortion. Notably, a 2020 court ruling in Poland resulted in a near-complete ban on abortion in that country.
• There it was said to be legal in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. Over the past few years, the time limit has been extended to 14 weeks, with the cost of the procedure covered by the national health insurance system.
• The Polish Constitutional Court ruled in 2020 that women can no longer terminate pregnancies in cases of severe fetal deformities, including Down syndrome. 

African and Asian countries banning abortion

• Currently, abortion is completely banned in a total of 24 countries. This includes African countries like Senegal, Mauritania, Egypt. Apart from this, abortion is also banned in Asian countries like the Philippines, Salvador, Honduras and Laos. 

Abortion in India

• In India, the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1971 is in force regarding abortion.
• In some special circumstances, abortion up to 20 weeks of pregnancy is allowed.
• According to this law, a registered doctor can perform abortion.
• But for this some conditions have been fixed such as; Abortion is allowed only if there is a threat to the health of the pregnant woman or if there is a possibility of serious mental suffering to the fetus or if there may be physical abnormalities during delivery.
• This law was amended in the year 2021 and this period has been extended to 24 weeks.
• However, for this only rape, illicit relations between members of the same family, minor, mentally or physically ill women are allowed.
• Along with this right, it has also been decided that for this the approval of two registered doctors will be necessary.
• Apart from this, abortion can be allowed if there is any kind of disability or other problem in the fetus. There is no time limit fixed for this.
• But for this, permission will have to be taken from the special medical board of doctors constituted by the state government. 

Important Facts For Exam

France

• Capital: Paris
• President: Emmanuel Macron
• Prime Minister: Gabriel Atal
• Currency: Euro
• Climate of France: Mediterranean
• Major Rivers of France : Seine, Rhone, Loire
• Major Mountains of France : Alps in the east and Pyrenees in the south.