France enshrines abortion as a constitutional right

France inscribed the guaranteed right to abortion in its constitution Friday, a powerful message of support for women's rights on International Women's Day.

Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti used a 19thcentury printing press to seal the amendment in France's Constitution at a special public ceremony. Applause filled the cobblestoned Place Vendome as France became the first country to explicitly guarantee abortion rights in its national charter.

The measure was overwhelmingly approved by French lawmakers earlier this week, and Friday's ceremony means it can now enter into force.

While abortion is a deeply divisive issue in the United States, it's legal in nearly all of Europe and overwhelmingly supported in France, where it's seen more as a question of public health rather than politics. French legislators approved the constitutional amendment on Monday in a 78072 vote that was backed by many far-right lawmakers.

Friday's ceremony in Paris, attended by around 1,000 people, was a key event on a day focused on advancing women's rights globally. Marches, protests and conferences are being held from Jakarta, Indonesia, to Mexico City and beyond.

The French constitutional amendment has been hailed by women's rights advocates around the world, including places where women struggle to access birth control or maternal health care. French President Emmanuel Macron called it a direct result of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2022 rescinding long-held abortion rights.

Macron called for other countries to follow suit and proposed including the right to abortion in the European Union's charter, drawing cheers from the crowd in Paris. However, such a move would likely meet stiff resistance from EU members that have tight abortion restrictions, such as Poland.

Macron's critics questioned why he pursued the measure in a country with no obvious threat to abortion rights but where women face a multitude of other problems.

While some French women saw the step as a major win, others said that in reality not every French woman has access to abortion.

“It's a smokescreen,” Arya Meroni, 32, said of the event.

“The government is destroying our health care system, many family planning clinics have closed,” she said at an annual “Feminist Night March” in Paris on the eve of International Women's Day.

Still, for people like 44-year-old public relations director Lunise Marquis, it was a “major milestone for women's rights.”

“We are sending a message to the world,” she said.

France has a persistently high rate of women killed by their partners and challenges remain in prosecuting sexual abuse against women by powerful celebrities and other men. French women also see lower pay and pensions — especially women who are not white.