“Abortion is a right, not a privilege”: gathering at Place de la Comédie for a fight far from won

For the right to abortion for all, they join forces. Midi Libre – Florence Guilhem

Associations, political parties, unions and individuals: nearly 300 people attended the rally for the right to abortion. Midi Libre – Florence Guilhem

The meeting was held on the Place de la Comédie, this Saturday, September 28, for the International Day for the Right to Voluntary Termination of Pregnancy. With the aim of defending “a fragile right”.

“Let's take back control of our bodies and our lives.” “The freedom to decide. We fought to win it, we will fight to keep it“, chanted in unison the 300 people gathered at Place de la Comédie, this Saturday, for International Abortion Rights Day, September 28. “If I am here, it is because the right to abortion is one of those causes that makes sense, even if it has not affected me personally. It is a fragile right that must therefore be defended“, confides Claire, 22 years old.

At her side, Vincent, 25 years old, agrees. He is there “in support and because it is a cause that affects my loved ones. I just regret that there are not more men in this type of gathering“. And to display a somewhat provocative placard in the hands of a man. While there is no shortage of humor and good humor in this gathering, the situation remains serious because, throughout the world, the right to dispose of one's body, including the right to abortion, is under attack from all sides.

No guarantee of real access to this right in France

If, in France, the law of March 8, 2024 has enshrined “freedom” to resort to abortion in the Constitution, “it is not because a law exists that it is applied“, indicates Julie, an activist with the association “Du pain et des roses”. Before sharing her concerns about the “reactionary government that has just been appointed, a certain number of whose members are against abortion“. And everyone fears that because of this and the growing anti-IVG discourse, the budgetary disengagement will continue, leading to the continued closure of IVG and maternity centers throughout the territory.

“In 2022, in Occitanie, 21,451 abortions were performed, but significant territorial and social inequalities exist, particularly in rural areas. In Ganges, the closure of the maternity ward forces people to travel long distances to have an abortion, using the method of their choice. In Toulouse, the waiting time for an instrumental IVG is 3 weeks. There is therefore much to be done so that each person can exercise their right to abortion without being subjected to pressure“, insists a representative of the Hérault Family Planning Association.

“We fight together, we win together”

Among the demands of the associations brought together that day by the Montpellier feminist inter-organization, its spokesperson mentioned, among other things, access to care for all in all territories with the reopening of closed abortion centers, maternity wards and local hospitals.

They also demand a guarantee of the choice of methods for IVG, as well as the disappearance of the double cause of conscience of doctors, specific to IVG. “We will demand training for health professionals in non-judgmental and non-stigmatizing care, which includes the diversity of life paths and gender identities“, says the spokesperson for the inter-organization. To make the demands a reality, there is only one way: “We fight together, we win together.”

I subscribe to read the rest