Six months after abortion was included in the Constitution, rallies are being organised on Saturday in Paris and in several cities on the occasion of International Abortion Rights Day, to demand "guarantees" from Michel Barnier's new government.
In Paris, the gathering is planned for 2:30 p.m. at Port Royal at the call of the collective "Abortion in Europe, women decide", which brings together feminist associations and unions including Family Planning, the CFDT and the National Collective for Women's Rights.
The inclusion in March of the "guaranteed freedom" of access to voluntary termination of pregnancy (IVG) in the Constitution - a first in the world - "is not enough", the group believes in a press release. "The conditions in which this freedom is exercised" "could always be revised downwards".
"Nothing guarantees human and material resources, the double conscience clause of medical personnel still exists," he deplores.
The group is demanding access to abortion "in all territories", "guarantee for all the choice of methods" (surgical or medicinal), the effectiveness of education sessions on emotional and sexual life in schools and measures against "anti-abortion activists" who "spread false information" on the internet.
According to a study carried out by the Directorate of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (Drees) and published on Wednesday, 243,623 IVGs were recorded in France in 2023, i.e. 8,600 more than in 2022.
But for feminist associations and for 9 out of 10 French people (89%), obstacles persist, particularly in terms of structures and delays, according to an Ifop barometer published by Family Planning on Thursday.
More than half of the women surveyed (54%) who had an abortion in a health establishment said they had to wait more than seven days to get an appointment, compared to the five recommended by the High Authority for Health (HAS).
"There are still many obstacles" and "barriers have been clearly identified" whether "in terms of information, access to health centers, delays," declared the new Secretary of State for Gender Equality Salima Saa during the presentation of the barometer. "These situations must not continue."
For the Alliance Vita association, which campaigns against abortion, access to voluntary termination of pregnancy has on the contrary been "simplified, even trivialized" by the "removal of reflection periods" and "the continued possibility of resorting to teleconsultation for medical termination of pregnancy".
Accused of having chosen a "reactionary" government with conservative ministers on social issues, Prime Minister Michel Barnier assured in mid-September that "acquired rights", particularly in matters of abortion, would be "fully preserved".
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