Kathmandu: France has become the first country in the world to include abortion rights in its constitution.
MPs from both houses of the French parliament voted 780 in favor of the measure and 28 against, more than the two-thirds needed to amend the French constitution.
The amendment was widely approved by the French Senate and National Assembly earlier this year after a vote at a special meeting of lawmakers at the Palace of Versailles, southwest of Paris, passed the final stage of the legislative process.
The amendment made abortion a ‘guaranteed freedom’ in France. Some groups and MPs have explicitly called for abortion to be a ‘right’.
After the overwhelming majority vote, there was a celebration at the Eiffel Tower with the mention of ‘My body is my choice’.
Prime Minister Gabriel Atal said before the vote that MPs had a “moral debt” to women forced to endure illegal abortions in the past. “First of all, we’re sending a message to all women, your body is yours,” Atl said after the revision. French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that the government will hold a formal ceremony to mark the passage of the amendment on International Women’s Day on Friday.