Shortly before the presidential elections in April, the French government passed a law at the end of February that allows women to have an abortion up to the 14th week of an unwanted pregnancy.
Previously, an estimated 2,000 women a year traveled abroad to have an abortion after the permitted 12 weeks. Also, midwives were now allowed to perform abortions as well. But not only that, women were already given easier access to abortions in France at the start of the pandemic in April 2020.Midwives and doctors were also allowed to prescribe medication for abortion over the phone.
France has a liberal abortion law compared to, for example, the FRG, but it did not receive important changes until 2001. Since 1975, abortion was legal within the first ten weeks, this period was then extended to twelve weeks in 2001 and has now been extended again. In addition, young women under the age of 18 are allowed to have an abortion without parental consent. In 2015, the seven-day "reflection period" that women were forced to have was abolished.
The new law thus represents a new relief for many women who are unintentionally pregnant. However, it should also be noted that this new concession is also overshadowed by the presidential election, in which the self-proclaimed feminist Macron, although not yet an official candidate, is leading. However, more and more voices are being raised against his government within the population (e.g. in protests against the state of emergency).
