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New Bills In France Would Allow Greater Access To Abortions And Contraceptives

France is proposing a new law that would extend the legal period for abortion from 10 to 12 weeks of pregnancy. The new proposal would erase the current legal provision that requires parental authorization for girls under the age of 18 to have an abortion or purchase the “morning-after pill. According to the Employment Minister, each year some 5,000 French women are forced to seek abortions in other countries due to the 10-week legal deadline to terminate pregnancy.

In a separate proposed bill that is scheduled for introduction in Parliament later this year would allow girls to purchase the “morning-after pill” over the counter without a prescription or parental authorization. If this bill becomes law it would overturn a ruling by France’s highest administrative court that bans school nurses from distributing contraceptives to girls without a prescription.

Sources:

Reuters 27 July 2000

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