(SPUC) Bishop Bernard Ginoux, the Catholic bishop of the diocese of Montauban, France, has said that France’s unborn are “in great danger” after its National Assembly voted to expand late-term abortion in cases of “psycho-social distress”.
John Deighan, CEO of SPUC Scotland, said: “The vote constitutes another dreadful step along the way to abortion on demand in France. We can only hope and pray that pro-lifers in France resist the attempt to rob the unborn of their right to life.”
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The radical pro-abortion amendment was debated late at night in France’s National Assembly, which then voted for the amendment to radically expand abortion.
Despite the significance of the vote, only 101 members out of 557 turned out to vote for the revision, which must now be considered by the Senate. If passed by a joint committee of both houses, the law would essentially legalise abortion on demand in France.
John Deighan said: “Using the reason ‘psycho-social distress’, a vague and slippery term, to justify an abortion is both unreasonable and dishonest. As we have seen elsewhere, its very vagueness, which can be twisted to mean almost anything, is designed to bring abortion on demand into full effect. Bishop Bernard Ginoux is not wrong when he warns that France’s unborn are ‘in great danger’. They are in mortal danger.
“The clandestine manner of the vote, taking place late at night, and involving hardly any debate and so few members, must be seen for what it really is: an underhand attempt to sneak extreme pro-abortion legislation past the French people.”
Abortion in France
At this current time, 220,000 abortions take place annually in France on average. If the new legalisation is ratified, that number is likely to rise.
While abortions are legal for any reason up to 12 weeks, late-term abortions are only allowed when there is a severe malformation of the fetus or when the mother’s life is said to be in danger. However, the new amendment introduces “psycho-social distress” as another reason allowing for late-term abortion.
Since abortion was legalised in France, in 1975, abortion laws in the country have gradually become more extreme, fitting a similar pattern around Europe.
Despite this, every year thousands of French pro-lifers turn out to march against abortion in Paris.
Editor's note: This article was published by the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children and is reprinted with permission.
