Supporters say the law would stop the spread of ‘misinformation,’ but opponents say it violates free speech
The French National Assembly this week moved to
criminalize websites that spread “misinformation” about abortions and
spread pro-life propaganda. The law,
approved on Thursday, would punish offenders with up to two years in
prison and a €30,000 fine. It will now move on to the Senate, The Guardian reports.
Supporters say the bill would target sites that
masquerade as neutral sources of information on abortion, but are in
fact operated by advocacy groups that seek to manipulate and pressure
women into not terminating pregnancies. The proposal has drawn criticism
from right-wing politicians and Catholic organizations, who say it
infringes on free speech.
A law
passed in 1993 makes it a crime to intimidate or pressure women into
not having abortions. The law was originally passed to prevent
anti-abortion activists from blocking access to abortion clinics,
following a wave of demonstrations during the 1980s. The proposal passed
in the lower house this week would extend that law to websites that
“exert psychological or moral pressure” on women who are seeking
information about abortions.
"Thirty years ago, militants chained themselves to abortion clinics," Laurence Rossignol, the socialist family minister, said during debate this week. "Today, their successors are continuing this fight on the web."
Rossignol has identified several sites — ivg.net, sosgrossesse.net, and sosbebe.org
— as examples of misleading and manipulative platforms that seek to
shame women into not terminating pregnancies. Ivg.net portrays itself as
a neutral platform to help women decide whether to have an abortion or
not, promising “complete information” and offering a free helpline
number. But as Le Monde
reports, the site emphasizes the negative psychological and physical
impacts that abortions can have on women, and prominently features
harrowing testimonies. Ivg.net also is the first result on Google France
searches for “IVG” — the French acronym for abortions — ahead of the
health ministry’s official site for information.
The proposed law has drawn criticism from conservative
politicians and Catholic groups who see it as a violation of free
speech. Last week, Catholic Archbishop Georges Pontier published a letter
to President François Hollande in which he said that the bill
“questions the foundations of our freedoms and especially the freedom of
expression.” Bruno Retailleau, a senator from the center-right
republican party, said the bill would limit the information about “alternatives” to abortion.
But Rossignol contested those arguments during debate
this week, saying: “Freedom of expression should not be confused with
manipulating minds.”
The Senate will open debate on the bill on December 7th.
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