Hundreds of individuals took to the streets of Paris on Saturday to advocate for women’s right to abortion globally. This demonstration occurred just half a year after France made history as the first country to incorporate a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy voluntarily into its constitution. The rally was orchestrated by various civil society groups to commemorate International Safe Abortion Day and to demand improved and more accessible abortion services within France, condemning budget reductions, staff layoffs, and the shutdown of abortion facilities and maternity units that are seen as penalizing women.
Sarah Durocher, the president of France’s nonprofit family planning services, highlighted the challenges French women face, such as having to travel to different regions to access necessary medical procedures for abortions, labeling the experience as an “obstacle course.” A participant in the protest, 28-year-old Thibault Thomas, connected his presence at the rally to the ongoing trial of a man who admitted to drugging his wife, enabling multiple men to rape her while unconscious. Thomas indicated that the current context in France, particularly in light of the Mazan trial, eliminates any excuses or justifications that may have been perceived before, underscoring a broader societal issue.
Earlier this year, France solidified a woman’s right to voluntary pregnancy termination as the sole country to explicitly enshrine this right in the constitution, aiming to prevent regression as witnessed in the United States recently. Despite abortion being legal in France since 1975 and enjoying broad support across political ideologies, protesters on Saturday expressed that the abortion right should never be assumed secure, especially with the rise of far-right nationalist movements in France and other European nations.
Durocher emphasized the worldwide threat to sexual and reproductive rights when far-right political entities attain power, stating that every nine minutes, a woman dies somewhere globally due to the inability to access safe abortion services. Additionally, a small group representing Colombian women in Paris participated in the march carrying a large purple banner with a feminist symbol. Talula Rodríguez, a 49-year-old member, highlighted the significance of advocating for rights over one’s body, emphasizing unity in the struggle for women’s autonomy and choices, both in France and Latin America.
