France Dumps Abortion Restrictions, Will Cover the Cost of All First Trimester Abortions

[niyad]

France Dumps Abortion Restrictions, Will Cover the Cost of All First Trimester Abortions

A new law in France will now allow first-trimester abortions without requiring women to prove a justification for needing the procedure.
The new law, proposed by the French Minister for Women's Rights Najat Vallaud-Belkacem was promulgated last Tuesday. It amends the country's current law, which allows abortion only if a pregnant women can prove "distress." The new law also bans any attempt to restrict women from getting information about abortion services.

The French National Assembly voted to approve the new law in January amid heated controversy. At that time, Vallaud-Belkacem defended the change to the current law, saying Abortion is a right in itself and not something that is simply tolerated depending on the conditions." Under a law passed in 2012, the French government must pay 100 percent of the cost of an abortion from the social security budget. During the debate on the new abortion law, French lawmakers tried unsuccessfully to repeal the funding requirement. The 2012 law also allows adolescents between 15-18 years old to obtain certain contraceptives for free at family planning centers.

The new abortion law is part of a package of proposed gender equality measures to extend paternity leave, promote sex equality at work, decrease sex stereotyping in media, and provide increased support to low-income women and survivors of domestic abuse.

"At a time when women in many parts of the world, including in the United States and Spain, are seeing their rights restricted, violated, and disrespected, France has set an important example for the rest of the globe with its progressive stance toward reproductive health care," said Lilian Sepulveda, Director of the Global Legal Program for the Center for Reproductive Rights. "Ensuring a woman's right to control her fertility is fundamental to achieving gender equality. But passing today's law is just the first step - we now look to French policymakers to ensure women see the benefits of this historic law implemented this year."
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While women in the US wait for better and more affordable access to abortion services, France's new law could go into effect as early as 2015.



http://www.msmagazine.com/news/uswirestory.asp?ID=15135

[theHandpuppet]

1. A sign of a civilized society

Meanwhile, here at home women have to fight like hell just to retain what rights we have.

[niyad]

2. it would be nice to live in a civilized society