The president of the National Rally, Jordan Bardella, assured Monday that he wanted to address “all the women of France”, in a video posted on his networks, less than two weeks before the legislative elections. Franceinfo has scrutinized the votes of its elected representatives in the Assembly since 2022.
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“I will be the Prime Minister who guarantees every girl and every woman in France their rights and freedoms.” This statement from Jordan Bardella, broadcast Monday June 17 on X, did not fail to provoke a reaction. Less than two weeks before the first round of the legislative elections, the president of the National Rally (RN) assures that his deputies “fight daily to achieve progress” in terms of equality between men and women.
Of the “lies”according to Renaissance candidate Pierre Cazeneuve, who castigated a “feminist pseudo-discourse” on his X account. “Bardella is lying”, added PS senator Laurence Rossignol, in a tweet posted an hour later. So, what is the real positioning of the far-right party in terms of women’s rights in this last legislature? Franceinfo has deciphered the votes of RN deputies in the hemicycle since 2022.
On the inclusion of abortion in the Constitution
The introduction into the Constitution of “the freedom guaranteed to women to have recourse to a voluntary termination of pregnancy” (IVG) was one of the key texts of the legislature. But if a small majority of deputies RN voted in favor of the text last March during the Versailles Congress, the party nonetheless remained the most divided in the National Assembly on this constitutional reform. “You are the parliamentary group which least approved the inclusion of abortion”, notably scathed Minister Aurore Bergé in a video posted on X in response to Jordan Bardella. In detail, 46 RN deputies voted for, 11 voted against and 20 abstained. The three RN senators had, for their part, approved the reform.
On “not threatened in France”. The president of the RN preferred to focus on the fact that “Marine Le Pen supported” this measure, failing to specify its opposition to the extension of the time limit for access to abortion. The former presidential candidate first spoke on X in October 2020, then in the ranks of the National Assembly.n February 2022. While theextension of the period from twelve to fourteen weeks pregnancy was under study, the elected RN had tabled an amendment against the text, which was nevertheless adopted.
On strengthening women’s access to responsibilities in the public service
A year and a half after the so-called law “Rixain”, which requires the appointment of at least 40% women to management positions in large companies, the public service in turn adopted new legal obligations in July 2023. The law “aimed at strengthening women’s access to responsibilities in the public service” was widely adopted in the National Assembly. Only the RN group opposed it, citing a risk of lack of fairness. “offensive to women”. “There is nothing more insulting to a woman than to be treated as a quota”argued Marie-France Lorho (RN) in particular, as reported by LCP.
The text, since promulgated in the Official Journal, also increases to 50%, compared to 40% currently, the rate of people of each sex to be appointed to a first senior or management position. An index of professional equality in the public sector, with mandatory publication, has also been established since 2023 for the state civil service and since 2024 in hospitals and communities. Financial sanctions are planned, but only in the event of non-publication of the number of men and women appointed, from 2026.
On universal emergency aid for victims of domestic and intra-family violence
Among the arguments used by Jordan Bardella to defend his party’s record on women’s rights is that of the vote in favor of “the increase emergency accommodation places for women victims of violence”. This text, pOrted by the centrist senator from the North, Valérie Létard, is supposed to allow victims to leave their homes to seek shelter. He was adopted unanimously by the Assembly. The 120 deputies present in the hemicycle, including 44 from the RN group, thus voted in favor of this emergency financial aid, conditional on a protection order, a filing of a complaint or a report sent to the public prosecutor.
Iinitially, the RN group planned to include it in its day reserved in the hemicycle, on the occasion of its parliamentary niche in January 2023. But the conference of presidents of the Assembly, which brings together the president of the Assembly, the leaders of political groups and commissions in particular, had decided to debate this transpartisan subject during a “Assembly week”. After its promulgation in the Official Journal, the aid, from 240 euros to more than 1,330 euros depending on the case, has been generalized since December 1, 2023.
On supporting women who have suffered miscarriage
Adopted by the Assembly in March 2023, the text sets up from September 2024, under the aegis of each Regional Health Agency (ARS), a “miscarriage course which brings together hospital and private medical professionals and psychologists”, so that women and their partners are systematically informed and guided. The bill also allows midwives, and no longer just doctors, to directly refer their patients who have suffered a miscarriage and their partners to a psychologist approved by health insurance.
The RN voted for, but opposed the establishment of a “special leave” of three days, unsuccessfully defended on the left. The amendment suggested leaving women the choice between this leave and sick leave. Some votes from the majority were in their direction, but not those of the RN deputies. In the Senate either, this “extra tool” was not retained.
On comprehensive management of breast cancer care
The deputies adopted at the end of May at first reading a communist bill for comprehensive management of care linked to breast cancer. The objective of the text? Repay “all care”including said “support”. This includes hair prostheses of all categories as well as the renewal of breast prostheses.
If the RN voted in favor, it also gave its support to an amendment tabled by the Renaissance presidential group, which excludes from reimbursement excess fees, mentioned in the initial text. This proposition “is tantamount to an unprecedented call for air which could encourage many health professionals to leave sector 1 for sector 2, or to withdraw from conventional regulations”argued in particular the elected RN Angélique Ranc, today a candidate in Aube, as reported by LCP.