January 19, 2017.
According to the High Council for Equality between Women and Men (HCE), access to voluntary termination of pregnancy (abortion) has been improved in recent years, but new efforts still need to be made.
Towards the abolition of the double conscience clause?
On the occasion of the 42nd anniversary of the Veil law, the High Council for equality between women and men wished to take stock of the recommendations it had formulated in 2013. A rather positive assessment, since 26 of its 35 HCE’s requests were acted upon. ” Thanks to the strengthening of the legal and regulatory arsenal and the national action program for access to abortion, more than two thirds of the recommendations issued by the HCE have been implemented », Welcomed Danielle Bousquet, president of the HCE.
Among them, we find the elimination of the concept of distress as a necessary condition for the right to have recourse to abortion, or waiver of the seven-day cooling-off period until then compulsory between the first two medical consultations. However, there is still room for improvement in this area. In particular, according to the HCE, it would be necessary to lift “ the final obstacles to full access to abortion ”, Such as the removal of the double conscience clause for example.
Facilitate access to abortions by aspiration
The HCE would also like develop further ” the proximity offer “, by granting family planning and education centers (CPEF) and multidisciplinary medical centers the possibility of performing abortions by aspiration. This method is practiced between the 8th and the 12th week of pregnancy, when it is too late to have a medical abortion.
What HCE also wants to improve would be the training of health professionals on these abortion issues, so that women easily get all the information they need to make the right choice. Last object of satisfaction of the HCE: the current examination by Parliament of an offense of obstructing abortion extended to websites, who would try to dissuade women from having an abortion.
To find out more: Find out more about abortion
