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France enshrines woman’s constitutional right to an abortion in a global first
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Paris — France became the first country to enshrine a woman’s right to an abortion in its constitution. Lawmakers from France’s upper and lower houses of parliament met Monday and easily passed the historic amendment.
The bill was approved in an overwhelming 780-72 vote, and nearly the entire joint session stood in a long standing ovation.
The move was driven by concern that snowballed in France as the U.S. started rolling back abortion rights two years ago, when Roe v. Wade was overturned. French President Emmanuel Macron promised that France would ensure women’s right to abortion was protected in the event of any similar moves to restrict access at any time in the future.
The amendment to Article 34 of the constitution would explicitly enshrine “a woman’s guaranteed freedom to have recourse to an abortion.”
Macron announced after the vote that the amendment would be inscribed in the constitution on Friday, March 8 — International Women’s Day — during a ceremony in central Paris that will be open to the public. Writing on social media, he said the vote was a matter of “French pride” and a “universal message.”
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The move has overwhelming support in the country. Several opinion polls have found that more than 80% of the French population approves of amending the constitution to enshrine that right.
There has been cross-party support for the change. Even far-right parliamentarians, from parties that have historically opposed expanding abortion rights, voted in favor of the reform.
Abortion was legalized in France in 1974. The legal limit for abortions was extended from 12 to 14 weeks of pregnancy in 2022, amid anger that French women were often forced to travel abroad for the procedure.
Just days ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, there was another historic moment Monday when the Congress was opened by a woman for the first time.
The president of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, launched the proceedings, saying: “I am proud to pay tribute to all the women who have written, have acted, have fought daily so that we can climb the steep slope leading to equality between men and women.”
Stephanie Lecocq/REUTERS
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal told the session in Versailles: “We owe a moral debt to women,” and said that passing the amendment would be “a victory for women’s rights.”
“When women’s rights are attacked in the world, France rises and places itself at the forefront of progress,” Attal said in a social media post after last week’s Senate vote in favor of the amendment.
Justice minister Eric Dupond-Moretti called it “an historic vote,” adding: “It reminds all those who didn’t yet know it that the women in our country are free, and to what point we are all attached to that freedom.”
France is a proudly secular country, though there is a strong Catholic tradition embedded in the culture. The country’s Conference of Bishops relayed a call Monday for a day of “fasting and prayer,” called for by several Catholic associations, over the pending legislation.
The Vatican also noted its opposition last month, and on Monday its Pontifical Academy for Life released a statement saying that, “in the era of universal human rights, there can be no ‘right’ to take a human life.”
CBS News
Eye Opener: After strengthening overnight, Hurricane Beryl slams into Texas
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Hurricane Beryl snarls travel in U.S. as airlines cancel more than 1,300 flights
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More than 1,300 U.S. flights were canceled early Monday as airlines grapple with the impact of Hurricane Beryl making landfall in Texas.
Another roughly 700 flights were delayed, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. Most of the affected flights are those originating in or flying to Texas airports, including Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport, also in Houston.
United Airlines had the greatest number of canceled flights on Monday morning, with 405 cancellations, followed by Southwest with 268, FlightAware’s data shows.
Beryl made landfall as a Category 1 storm, with winds of 80 mph. Forecasters expected rain of up to 12 inches.
In a statement to CBS News, United said it is largely suspending flight out of Houston on Monday, but will waive change fees and fare differences for passengers who want to reschedule their trips. Likewise, American Airlines told CBS News that it is suspending operations at the Houston airports on Monday until about 3 p.m. Eastern Time.
“We’ll evaluate conditions tomorrow to determine if it’s safe to resume operations in the afternoon/evening,” American said in a statement, adding that customers can also rebook their tickets without change fees. The carrier said it doesn’t plan to change its Texas flight schedules in Austin, Brownsville, Harlingen or McAllen due to the storm.
Southwest Airlines said in a statement that it has canceled flights at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, William P. Hobby Airport and Corpus Christi International Airport through noon on Monday. The carrier added that it expects schedule changes through Monday afternoon and urged customers to check their flight status for any disruptions.
—With reporting by CBS News’ Kris Van Cleave.
CBS News
Jessica Springsteen, Bruce Springsteen’s daughter, fails to make 2024 equestrian Olympics team after winning silver in 2020
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Jessica Springsteen, the Olympic silver medal-winning equestrian daughter of rock legend Bruce Springsteen, will not be going for gold at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.
In a news release by U.S. Equestrian over the weekend, Springsteen was not listed on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games jumping team. The event, scheduled to be held in Versailles, France, starting on Aug. 1, will instead feature Florida resident Kent Farrington with their 2014 Oldenburg mare Greya, Florida resident Laura Kraut and their 2010 Hanoverian gelding Baloutinue, and New York resident McLain Ward and their 2013 KWPN gelding Ilex. California resident Karl Cool will serve as an alternate alongside their 2012 Selle Français mare Caracole de la Roque.
“We are very lucky to have three of the most experienced athletes in the sport riding horses that are in top form heading into the Games. Additionally, we have a strong alternate athlete horse combination in Karl and Caracole who have shown great recent form,” Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland said in the news release. “Now that selection is complete, we are 100% laser-focused on Paris.”
Springsteen made her debut Olympic performance at the 2021 Games in Tokyo. At the time, she was ranked 27th in the world, according to the International Federation for Equestrian Sports. Today, the 33-year-old is ranked 127th with 67 wins under her belt.
Roberto Tommasini/NurPhoto via Getty Images
But Team USA’s equestrian jumping team will be in good hands this year.
Farrington, 44, is ranked 6th in the world and second in Pan-American rankings, according to the federation, and Paris will mark his third Olympics. He was part of the silver-winning team at Rio in 2016.
Kraut, 59, is ranked 35th in the world and 4th in Pan-American rankings. Kraut took home silver at the Tokyo Games and gold in Beijing in 2008, and in 2021, she was named the International Equestrian of the Year by the U.S. Equestrian Federation.
Ward, 49, is ranked 15th in the world and 1st in Pan-American with 257 wins since 2010. Ward made their Olympic debut in Athens in 2004 and competed again in Beijing in 2008, winning gold both times. At the 2016 and 2020 Games, he took home silver.