French lawmakers make abortion a constitutional right

A general view shows MPs and Senators during the convocation of a congress of both houses of parliament in Versailles, southwestern of Paris, France March 4, 2024, to anchor the right to abortion in the country's constitution. If congress approves the move, France will become the only country in the world to clearly protect the right to terminate a pregnancy in its basic law. EMMANUEL DUNAND/Pool via REUTERS

VERSAILLES, France (Reuters) -France on Monday enshrined the right to abortion in its constitution, a world first welcomed by women's rights groups as historic and harshly criticised by anti-abortion groups.

MPs and senators overwhelmingly backed the move, by 780 votes against 72, in a special joint vote of the two houses of parliament, under the gilded ceilings of Versailles Palace, just outside Paris.