Abortion Global

France becomes the first country to enshrine abortion access as a constitutional right

Last Monday, French lawmakers approved a bill that amends the constitution to include the right to abortion. France’s landmark decision marks the first of its kind, making France the only country in the world to explicitly safeguard  abortion rights within their national constitution. French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal encouraged lawmakers to make France an example […]

Global Health Labor Rights

After Weeks of Negotiation, Health Care Workers Win Pay Increase in France

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, French healthcare workers have been demanding higher pay, increased funding for hospitals, and more staff. France has been one of the hardest hit countries in Europe, with over 200,000 infections and 30,000 deaths. This year, after seven weeks of tense and fraught negotiations with trade unions, the French government finally gave […]

Global Violence Against Women

France Unveils Plan to Combat Heightened Risk of Domestic Violence During COVID-19 Crisis

This week, France’s Secretary of State for Equality Between Women and Men, Marlène Schiappa, announced a plan to address the increased risk of domestic violence during the COVID-19 crisis. Schiappa pledged to provide 20,000 hotel bookings for victims of domestic violence, send 1 million euros to organizations specializing in domestic violence relief, and establish assistance […]

Courts Global Other Issues

French Priest Confesses to Abusing Dozens of Children

Earlier today Bernard Preynat, a 75-year-old ex-priest, was convicted and sentenced to prison for five years for sexual assault. Preynat admitted to abusing dozens of boys for nearly 20 years in Lyon, France. The case highlights the profound corruption within the Church’s establishments with the guilt of a top cardinal deepening the world’s understanding of […]

Global Health LGBTQ

French Lawmakers Approve IVF for Single and Gay Women

France’s lower house of Parliament approved a controversial draft of a bioethics law Friday allowing single women and lesbian couples to use medically assisted reproduction methods, but it still needs to make it through France’s upper house. The bill, which would allow women who are not in heterosexual relationships or single to access IVF treatment […]

Global

Belgium Convicts Man for Sexism

For the first time, a man in Belgium was convicted of sexism and faces a $3,724 fine for breaking a Belgian law that criminalizes sexism in public places. The law was introduced in 2014 and defines sexism as remarks that diminish “someone to his or her sexual dimension” and “express contempt.” The Belgian man told […]