After much procrastination, a bill allowing the extension of the legal duration of abortion will be examined at second reading on Wednesday in the Senate, where the right-wing majority should once again reject it.
The text carried by the ex-LREM deputy Albane Gaillot was not adopted in committee, despite the arguments of the PS rapporteur Laurence Rossignol, who expressed the wish that the continuation of the parliamentary shuttle lead to its final adoption as soon as possible. time limit.
Rejected by the Senate a year ago
Supported by the left, it must in particular allow the extension of the legal duration of the voluntary interruption of pregnancy (IVG) from 12 to 14 weeks, to respond to a lack of practitioners and the gradual closing of abortion centers.
This bill, above which Emmanuel Macron’s repeated reservations hover, has faced a real obstacle course since its adoption at first reading by the National Assembly in October 2020. The Senate had rejected it for the first time. times a year ago. It was the Socialist Group which then took the initiative to put it on the agenda.
Permanent hesitation
After almost falling by the wayside, it was finally taken up at second reading in the Assembly by the boss of LREM deputies Christophe Castaner. The deputies then made the choice not to remove the double conscience clause which allows doctors to refuse to perform abortion, a controversial provision of the text.
New waltz-hesitation for its inclusion in the second reading in the Senate, before the government finally takes the initiative itself to put it on the agenda on Wednesday. Next step: the meeting of a joint committee of deputies and senators on January 20, “which opens the way to adoption before the end of the five-year term”, according to Ms. Gaillot.
Several thousand people opposed to abortion marched in Paris on Sunday against the bill, during the traditional “March for Life”, which is held every year in January.