France allows artificial insemination for lesbian and single women.
Supporters and opponents agreed on one thing: the bioethics law is causing a social revolution in France. For the first time women are given the opportunity to fulfill their desire to have children without a visible father. The French National Assembly approved the innovation on Tuesday. Ousted by the European Football Championship and regional elections, the law, which has been controversial for two years, was passed with a clear majority: 326 MPs voted in favor, 115 against, with 42 abstentions.
Women’s and LGBT associations announced that the first fertilizations should take place in 2021. Family minister Adrien Taquet from the central party “La République en marche” spoke of a “very nice moment of democracy”. Other representatives of the Macron party praised a “civilizational progress”.
Opponents of the bill, for their part, complain about a “civilizational breach”. Julien Ravier of the conservative party “Les Républicains” said that France would “allow children without a father”. This is not only an ethical but also a socio-political problem in times when the loss of paternal or parental authority is regretted everywhere. The right-wing MP Emmanuelle Ménard spoke of a “moral watershed”, with newborns being deprived of their natural protection by a couple.
The French Bishops’ Conference had rejected the proposal, but it did not officially take part in a counter-demonstration in 2019. The National Medical Academy feared “risks for the psychological development and development of the child”. The French National Ethics Council had approved the innovation. He argued that society had evolved allowing countless women to have children. According to a survey, a clear majority of 67 percent of people in France were in favor of the generalization of artificial insemination, which was previously only approved for medical purposes.
In order to counter the widespread criticism of the “evasion” of the male role, the parliament decided to lift the anonymity of the sperm donors. When they are of legal age, children can find out the identity of their organic producer. It remains hidden from the mother for just as long.
Reactions to the law make it clear that the debate in France is by no means over. The MP Bastien Lachaud from the Left Party of the “Indomitable” spoke of a “stage win”. Now it is a matter of continuing on the path of equality. This alluded to surrogacy, which is a very hot topic in France and remains banned. But only they could equate men and women and fulfill homosexual men’s desire to have children. The debate in France could also lead the way in other European countries. As in Italy, for example, artificial insemination is prohibited for lesbian or single women in Germany.
