The abortion situation in France

The 1975 Veil law legalized abortion in France through the 12th week of pregnancy in accredited facilities after a required interview with a marriage counselor or social worker. In most cases 75% of the cost is reimbursed. There is no charge for persons without resources. The law enabled women to gain greater control over their lives and futures while suppressing illegal abortions and their tragic sequelae. The Veil law nonetheless contains problematic restrictions including the need for parental consent and the requirement that foreigners reside in France for 3 months preceding the abortion an especially serious problem for refugees. In some cases women exceed the 12-week interval for reasons not solely their own responsibility such as false menstruation or incorrect diagnoses. Each year some 5000 French women travel abroad to England Holland or Catalonia to obtain abortions. Other problems of access result from shortages of clinics and personnel. Physicians performing abortions are relatively poorly paid often lack secure employment and may have low prestige among their colleagues. Young physicians thus have little incentive to undertake abortions at a time when many of the older physicians who were motivated by conscience to assist women in distress are reaching retirement. Abortion practitioners and centers should be independently administered with their own budgets facilities and personnel able to provide family planning information and services. General practitioners should be trained in contraception in order to provide correct information and services to their patients. The Niertz law penalizing disturbances to abortion centers has momentarily stopped attacks on centers in France but attempts are periodically made to pass restrictive legislation in a global context of questioning of womens gains. It should be remembered that countries with the most progressive abortion legislation like Holland also have the lowest abortion rates in Europe.