This is a serious time. The results of the European elections mark a worrying turning point, with the rise of the far right across Europe and, above all, their sweeping victory in France. The results in France overwhelm us, with almost 38% of votes cast for far-right parties. We know that these parties undermine the rights of women, LGBTQIA+ people, gender equality and the rights of migrants and people far from the law. Their anti-choice, anti-feminist, racist and hateful political project endangers Le Planning Familial's actions towards all the people we support. These results come against a backdrop of increasing attacks on Le Planning Familial organization over the past few years, whether in the press, on social networks, through calls to cut our subsidies, or worse, directly against our local branches. When we attack Le Planning Familial organization, we jeopardize the reception of people who need to come to our clinics: those who come for an abortion, to access free contraception, those who are accompanied in their gender transition, women who are victims of domestic violence who come for support and a sympathetic ear, the young, the not-so-young, women in precarious situations... We are not fooled by these attacks, which are the work of a normalized extreme right and conservative anti-choice movements that are highly organized and ultra-funded! Our progressive actions are disturbing the extreme right, which is opposed to the evolution of society towards equal rights and access to healthcare for as many people as possible in France and Europe.  The European Parliament, the most progressive of the European Union's three institutions, has been a long-standing ally on gender equality issues. Planning familial was actively involved in the European elections, drawing up a manifesto with our recommendations for a feminist, supportive and inclusive Europe, meeting with various MEPs and analyzing the platforms of the main candidates. The new composition of the Parliament, with a more conservative majority, calls this dynamic into question. Nevertheless, we will continue to work with our new allied MEPs to advance sexual and reproductive rights in Europe. Despite these alarming findings, Le Planning Familial will not be silent, will proudly stand by its values and will continue its actions. We have 18 days left before the parliamentary elections to mobilize. It's important for many of us to take to the streets all over France this weekend, to show our support for our model of society and the values we defend. The challenges ahead are great, but Le Planning Familial will always be there to defend and advance human rights for all European citizens. Together, as feminists, in solidarity and in anger, we will resist! Thank you for your unfailing support.   Feminist solidarity,   Sarah Durocher President of Le Planning Familial   To support Le Planning familial click here

The enshrinement of the right to abortion in the French Constitution has been a historic demand of feminist organizations since I can remember. But for the past decade, this demand has had little resonance with the French population. Many felt that the Constitution would not have to be invoked to defend this right. I would even go so far as to say that many thought that this right was not at risk. But then, two years ago, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade and everything changed. Millions of people suddenly realized that, unfortunately, the right to abortion can be won and then lost. It's an ongoing battle. On 28 February, France’s Parliament will make its final decision on whether or not to pass the constitutional abortion bill. To succeed, we need the support of the international community.   The COVID crisis and the need to expand access to abortion To understand the impact of the US Supreme Court's decision on France, it is necessary to look at the context of abortion rights advocacy in our country. During the COVID crisis, the Mouvement Français pour le Planning Familial - commonly known as 'Le Planning Familial' - joined forces with feminist associations, health professionals and Members of Parliament to ensure access to abortion care during lockdown. Our mobilization triggered an increase in media coverage of the issue: women of all ages began to share their own abortion stories. Thanks to their courage, we managed to bring to light the existing obstacles to access abortion in France. We focused our advocacy on one main barrier: the legal time limit - 12 weeks of pregnancy - to access abortion. We knew that some women would not be able to get an abortion within this time because of the lockdown.  Pregnant women reached out to us by calling our national hotline and our local centers as they were unable to leave their homes because of domestic violence, as well as minors. We knew that, by the time the lockdown was over, they would have exceeded the abortion time limits and would be forced to continue through pregnancies against their will. Over the months, our advocacy campaign evolved into a demand for a legal change to permanently extend the time limit for accessing abortion care in France. It was a long political battle. We celebrated a great victory on 2 March 2022: abortion time limits were extended by two weeks. It was at this point that we saw a significant increase in support: French people who had previously been silent on the issue of abortion began to speak out.  Meanwhile, the anti-choice and anti-rights groups intensified its attacks against us. In the space of a few months, they broke down the doors, the windows and the locks of many of our local centers. Online and in-person threats were sent to our members across France.