Two French films that came out within a few weeks of one another on the legalisation of abortion in 1975, following the MLAC activism in the previous years, the lawyer Gisèle Halimi‘s court pleadings, and Giscard’s underlying (and relatively) progressive presidency, which left Simone Veil endure the nasty flak of an exclusively male French Assembly. (Note: I have not watched either of the movies!)
Despite the slightly positive attitude of the US electorate during the midterms towards abortion and reproductive rights, especially concerning ballots specifically targeting those rights, these elections did not see a shift in the States already suppressing these rights since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Incl. ten States where abortion is completely prohibited. And, unsatisfied with the outcome, US Catholic bishops have reinforced their anti-abortion activism with the election of Archbishop Broglio, under the newspeak slogan of fighting “an uncompromising secularism” [sic] even though the Supreme Court is so much bent in implementing a Catholic agenda. Most revealingly, they “worried that many Catholics actually support abortion rights under certain circumstances“. (Next they will think for themselves!)
Meanwhile, the far-right National Front proposed to enshrine the right to abortion into the French constitution, incl. the current limitation to 14 weeks into pregnancy. This sounds most paradoxical from a party that has long been opposed to abortion rights. A first reason is to block in the near future any extension of the limitation. A second one is to protect and enlarge the conscience clause that protects practicians who refuse to perform abortions, clause that can be used to prohibit in practice abortions in an entire city or district if all local doctors claim this exemption (as exemplified by Italy)… The attempt was however short-cut at the eleventh hour by the [almost] entire Parliament moving towards this inclusion of the right to abortion without the snares planned by the far-right party. (But it is no over yet!)
While the special health council for the French Government is closing down, the number of cases here remains quite high, seemingly in a complete indifference or worse… When 25 000 persons died from COVID since January. But political parties are all (!) against any constraining measure, with some even calling in a most demagogic manner for reintegrating [the few hundred] unvaccinated public health personnel in the public health system… (As a single datapoint, take the counter-example of our thrice-vaccinated daughter who caught COVID last week, most likely when working at the hospital.)
Xi'an's Og 