2024-09-27 15:05:00
If World Abortion Day (voluntary termination of pregnancy) is celebrated this Saturday, September 28, the latter is not yet completely well accepted in institutions and hospitals. According to a Family Planning barometer, published this Thursday, September 26, 9 out of 10 French people believe that obstacles persist in access to abortion (source 1). While the number of abortions carried out in France is increasing compared to 2022, the obstacles to access to this intervention remain numerous.
According to a Drees report from the Ministry of Health, “243,600 voluntary terminations of pregnancy (IVGs) were recorded in France in 2023” compared to 234,300 in 2022 (source 2). In March 2024, abortion was enshrined in the Constitution, making France the first country in the world to explicitly refer to the notion of abortion in its Constitution. “ We are preparing to take our country, together, a new path for women’s rights. Abortion is now part of our fundamental right. » rejoiced the President of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, before the vote. However, six months after the constitutionalization of abortion, access to it remains complex.
6 out of 10 French women who think that abortion is a “very good thing”
A right approved by 6 out of 10 French women who think that abortion is a “very good thing”, according to the report. “I tell myself that we are lucky to be able to do it correctly and not like our grandmothers with knitting needles. I tell myself, when it hits you, whether you’re very young or whether it’s abuse or just because you feel, like me, that it’s not the right time, I still tell myself that We are really lucky to be able to do it when it is necessary,” as recounted by a young woman of 24 who had an abortion at the age of 21, medical abortion, in a testimony included in the study.
According to this Family Planning survey, carried out by the Institute of Opinion and Marketing Studies in France and internationally (IFOP), 82% of women who have had an abortion recognize that obstacles remain. But, what obstacles limit access to abortion?
If most women feel supported and listened to, “many have had an abortion in a ‘stressful environment'”, according to the Family Planning study.
Waiting time too long, fear of judgment, work leave not provided…
To begin with, the investigation evokes a “lack of structures and waiting times that are still too long”. 54% of women interviewed for the study say they waited seven days to have an appointment for an abortion. However, the World Health Organization recommends a maximum wait of 5 days from the first appointment (source 3). 28% of women who had an abortion said they did not feel “supported and accompanied by those around them (by their family, by their friends, etc.)” When it comes to access to information, inequalities persist… 22% of French women believe they are not sufficiently informed about voluntary termination of pregnancy.
The study also highlights that a third of women who had an abortion before the start of their 8th week say they did not have a choice of method. Remember that abortion is possible up to 14 weeks pregnant (i.e. 16 weeks after the 1st day of the last period). It is carried out either by medication (until the end of the 7th week of pregnancy), or by surgical operation beyond 8 weeks.
Only 63% of women who responded to the study felt comfortable asking all their questions before deciding whether or not to have an abortion, while nearly 4 out of 10 women felt pressure during discussions with healthcare professionals. If most women feel supported and listened to, “many of them have had an abortion in a ‘stressful setting’ », according to the Family Planning study. The survey also highlights the fact that one in two women have not obtained work leave to perform an abortion, even though the law states this: “in the event of spontaneous termination of pregnancy before 22 weeks of amenorrhea, the employee benefits from authorization toexceptional absence of 2 days ».
Social inequalities in access to abortion
The Family Planning barometer reveals interesting figures about social inequalities in access to care. “57% of women having an abortion and 58% of the general public note that women living in rural areas encounter more difficulties in accessing abortion”, according to the report. Just as the minors in very precarious situations 59% of whom experienced difficulties in accessing an abortion. Worrying and similar figures which also concern immigrant women (asylum seekers, undocumented immigrants, etc.)according to the study.
French people are increasingly concerned about the inequality of care. 51% of those questioned fear « a regression of this right in the near future in France “, while “85% of those questioned said they were very strongly attached to the right to abortion.
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