Why set it in stone? France has become the first nation to enshrine abortion rights in its constitution, thanks to overwhelming approval from a rare joint session of both houses of parliament. Lawmakers launched the initiative after the US Supreme Court's overturning of a half-century-old federal guarantee. But does the rolling back of reproductive rights across the Atlantic and in places like Poland and Hungary necessitate a constitutional amendment in France?
Unspoken is the very real chance of a surging French far right taking over for the first time since World War II. Its leader Marine Le Pen herself voted for the amendment, as did a majority of her party, but many conservatives also want the constitution to recognise France’s Christian roots.
