France's Senate to vote on making abortion a constitutional 'freedom' / Photo: Christophe ARCHAMBAULT - AFP/File
-
Galloway accuser could not foresee publishing-sector fallout, lawyer argues
-
No. 22 UCLA defeats No. 5 Arizona 84-75 despite Kharchenkov's 38 points
-
New York City Center revives In the Heights as a timely community story
-
Vessel operator seeks witnesses after Vancouver grounding
-
Godzilla Minus Zero shifts focus toward postwar human drama
-
US Air Force deploys F-16 fighters to remote Aleutian base for readiness drill
-
Mehbooba Mufti urges dialogue and renewed Central Asia links for Kashmir
-
Bezos grant helps Seattle nonprofit move thousands of families toward housing
-
Seacliff Healthcare Seeks Specialist GP in Thirroul
-
Shrini Srivastava joins crew of Varanasi-Delhi Vande Bharat Sleeper service
-
US stocks fall before midterm Election Day as technology shares weaken
-
Nearly Half of Australian Workers Overqualified, Survey Finds
-
BLS Polymers makes strong market debut at ₹248 per share
-
RBI eases export-declaration compliance for individual service exporters
-
Petrol and diesel prices remain broadly steady across major Indian cities
-
India proposes more import entry points for drugs and medical devices
-
Reliance shares remain in focus after near-12% surge
-
Derek Tierney Outlines Ten-Year Strategy for National Digital Health System
-
2026 Arizona Midterms: Key Races, Ballot Measures, and Voter Deadlines
-
NBC’s Steve Kornacki Reveals Tech Habits Ahead of Midterm Elections
-
Coal India prepares possible $1 billion Mahanadi Coalfields listing
-
India and Israel oppose UN draft on regional conventional arms control
-
Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa Share Emotional Farewell After 'DWTS' Elimination
-
BLS Polymers shares open 65.3% above IPO price
-
US Buildings Threatened by Wildfires Could Triple by 2060
-
Capital-markets shares rally as Motilal Oswal and Angel One lead gains
-
Why Pregnancy Cost Estimates Fail: A Family’s $9,000 Surprise
-
Latino Voters Defy ICE Fears, Turn Out in Record Numbers for Midterms
-
US Strikes Iranian Targets in Strait of Hormuz Ahead of Midterms
-
ITC shares rise as analysts anticipate gradual cigarette-business recovery
-
Brodeur’s Overtime Goal Secures Bethlehem’s Second Consecutive Sectional Title
-
Reliance rally puts historical one-year return pattern in focus
-
Rare 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda 426 Hemi Listed for $400,000
-
Kuwait edges Oman 1-0 in veterans Gulf Cup in Doha
-
The Digital Burden: Why Instant Messaging Feels Like a Full-Time Job
-
Saudi Aramco quarterly profit climbs 34.6% amid elevated oil prices
-
Alberta Tabled Controversial Riding Boundary Maps Amid Gerrymandering Accusations
-
Washington reports movement in Iran negotiations aimed at preventing escalation
-
Hong Kong court set to sentence activist Joshua Wong in security case
-
Korea’s Labor Share of GDP Hits Record Low Amid Semiconductor Boom
-
Australia raises benchmark rate to highest level in 18 years
-
littlefish and Halo Dot Partner to Replace Payment Terminals with SoftPOS
-
'The Remarried Empress' Cast Discusses Bringing Fantasy Royal Drama to Life
-
Kuwait inspectors destroy 115 kilograms of unverified meat in Farwaniya
-
Asian stocks retreat as AI worries outweigh steep oil-price drop
-
Egypt Accelerates Construction of 341km Sinai Railway Linking Arish and Taba
-
Hamad International Airport stages emergency drills during WATAN 2026
-
John Schneider Admits Owes Millions in 'Dukes of Hazzard' Divorce Battle
-
Global failure to punish attacks leaves journalists at continuing risk
-
Philippine Authorities Report Progress in Thomas Markle Sr. Child Pornography Probe
France's Senate to vote on making abortion a constitutional 'freedom'
A French government plan to enshrine the "freedom" to have an abortion in the constitution is to be tested Wednesday in a crucial vote in the right-dominated Senate.
President Emmanuel Macron last year pledged to inscribe the right to terminate a pregnancy -- which has been legal in France since 1974 -- in the constitution after the US Supreme Court in 2022 overturned the half-century-old right to the procedure, allowing states to ban or curtail abortion.
France's lower-house National Assembly overwhelmingly voted in favour of making abortion a "guaranteed freedom" in late January, with almost all members of Macron's centrist minority coalition as well as left-wing opposition parties approving it.
But the plan still needs backing from the Senate, which is controlled by the right, with several leading senators opposed to the change.
Only if the upper house approves the government's exact wording on Wednesday afternoon can a combined vote of both chambers of parliament be held next month towards changing the constitution.
Otherwise it will be sent back to the National Assembly for further debate.
The government chose the expression "guaranteed freedom" as an apparent compromise between both houses.
The lower house in 2022 had approved enshrining the "right" to an abortion, while the Senate last year was in favour of adding the "freedom" to resort to the procedure.
A Senate committee on Wednesday morning rejected motions from the right to amend the text of the proposed revision, several members of parliament said, in a possible indicator the vote could be positive.
Even if Senate leaders are against Macron's proposal, in private several right-wing senators have said they feel under pressure to approve it.
"If I vote against it, my daughters will no longer come for Christmas," said one female senator who asked to remain anonymous.
More than three quarters of right-wing Republicans in the National Assembly voted in favour of adding the freedom to the constitution last month.
A survey by French polling company IFOP in November 2022 found 86 percent of French people were in favour of making having an abortion a constitutional right.
Ch.Campbell--AT