A parade showed its support for the right to abortion, this Saturday, for the 40 years of the Veil law. It took place the day after the publication of the program aimed at improving access to abortion in France.
On Saturday January 17, there were people in the street again. It was not a question of freedom of expression, but of the freedom to abort. 7,000 people according to the organizers, 2,200 according to the police according to AFP, thus marched through the streets of Paris to assert the right to abortion, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Veil law, promulgated on 17 January 1975.
According to the demonstrators, the right to abortion is a right under threat, in particular due to the lack of suitable structures. They marched chanting slogans such as “Abortion, we fought to win it we will fight to keep it”, or “The Veil law is watching,” AFP reported.
Government commitment
For its part, since May 2012, the ministry of Marisol Touraine has been working to guarantee women better access to abortion. The ministerial website ” ivg.gouv.fr »Has been operational since January 2014. Abortion is now 100% reimbursed by social security and the flat rate for the act has been upgraded to financially support the establishments that perform it. While most have access to abortion without difficulty, some remain poorly oriented or poorly supported.
Vast national action program
To put an end to these hindrances, the Ministry of Health recently unveiled a new national action program. Among the flagship measures of this plan, Marisol Touraine announced that a national call number will be created. Anonymous, non-surcharged and open seven days a week, its mission is to respond to women seeking information, guidance, advice or support in the field of sexual and reproductive health ( sexuality, contraception, abortion). In addition, the flat rate for the cover of “city” abortion practiced in an office and that carried out in a health establishment will be harmonized. Acts performed in addition to the abortion itself, and currently not fully covered by social security, will now be fully reimbursed.
This new national program recalls that the Health Law proposes that midwives can now perform medical abortions and the number of places that can perform abortion will be increased, in particular because health centers will be able to perform surgical abortions.
Remember that nearly 220,000 women abort each year in France, a figure that remains stable.
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