French Health Minister Decries 'Alarming' Drop in Abortion As Country Grapples With Pandemic

The government has made it easier for women to obtain abortion drugs at home via phone consultations.
By Jeanne Smits
LifeSite
Apr. 09, 2020

France has been hit harder than many countries by the coronavirus, with some 9,000 deaths directly or indirectly ascribed to COVID-19 to date and some 7,000 patients still in ICU while the nation remains in a complete lockdown, but its health minister is concerned about “feedback showing that there is an alarming decrease in abortion procedures.”

Olivier Véran, the Minister for Solidarities and Health, was asked April 1 in the French Senate to clarify whether measures would be taken to facilitate access to “voluntary interruption of pregnancy,” as it is called in the country.

“It is out of the question that the COVID-19 epidemic should limit the right to abortion in our country,” he told members of the National Assembly. “A number of measures are being assessed and will be implemented as soon as possible.”

“Firstly, medical abortions must be encouraged and made easier, while at the same time guaranteeing free choice,” added Véran. In France, women have a choice between surgical and chemical abortion, the latter now accounting for about two-thirds of “terminations.”

Read More