Women's eNews (https://womensenews.org/tag/france/)
The legislation under review eases the process of changing gender identification, but critics say it falls short of recommendations by the Council of Europe, an advisory body to the European Union.
This clinical team is known for its surgeries to repair the clitoris. But its services for survivors of FGM are much more. “We treat the whole mutilation with its emotional, social and psychologic impact,” says a pioneering surgeon.
The country is a magnet for female immigrants from Eritrea, Nigeria, Somalia, Guinea and Ethiopia. Thousands of women from these countries have fled FGM and help define what it means to be a refugee in Europe.
Her far-right party is well known for its anti-immigrant, nationalist message. In a country that serves as a beacon for abortion rights, she is also challenging that part of the status quo.
“It is catastrophic,” says one Muslim women’s leader, referring to the Nov. 13 attacks. “If we do not act on the causes of why they committed such horrors, we are not going to find the tools to stop them and to offer other alternatives.”
Abortion can be a hassle in some parts of France, despite the country’s liberalizing trend. A 12-week limit, mandatory one-week waiting period and the lag in scheduling appointments all add strain. Story reported with Juhie Bhatia.
Spain’s failure to pass a major abortion restriction in September is far from a death knell. Anti-abortion activists in Europe have more funding, rising partisan influence and plenty of tactical lessons to borrow from the U.S. Story reported with Juhie Bhatia.
In a country where the pill has long dominated, women are now turning to other options, including less reliable “natural” methods. At the same time, abortion rates may have gone up last year, partly due to the pill controversy. Story reported with Hajer Naili.
Our multimedia series, “Backlash in Europe: Women’s Reproductive Rights Threatened,” will begin this coming week. Join the conversation on reproductive health issues in Spain and France on Twitter #EUReproRights.
For generations France made little effort to include newcomers from its former colonies in North Africa, say critics. Now, two recent bans against religious veiling put French Muslim girls and women at the center of the country’s simmering immigration debate.