Dr. Laura Rahm, MSCA Research Fellow at the DPP, was interviewed by The New York Times about enshrining abortion rights into the French constitution. The interview was conducted by Catherine Porter, international correspondent based in Paris.
During the interview, Rahm stressed that the recent vote by the French Senate to enshrine abortion rights in the constitution must be understood within a broader context. Firstly, this act represents a continuation (or perhaps culmination) of France's decades-long efforts to ensure access to safe and free abortions, despite persisting obstacles such as a declining number of service providers, regions with inadequate services, the issue of conscientious objection, and challenges related to accessing abortions in the second trimester. Secondly, it serves as a political statement, reacting both to the 2022 US Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and to the global backlash against women's rights.
Laura Rahm also pointed to emergency measures that the French government introduced after the COVID pandemic hit, offering abortion via telemedicine. “A system always shines or cracks when it’s put under pressure,” she said. The French system clearly shone, she said.