Some events mark history by the violence of their passion and the intensity of their hatred. Their activists make use of every artifice and symbolism to sear into the minds of the public the fact that a great betrayal has been perpetrated, resulting in a day that will live on in infamy.
March 4 was one such day. The world looked on in horror as French lawmakers approved a bill that enshrined abortion in the French Constitution, the world’s first country to make it specifically the supreme law of the land.
Three considerations come to mind while reflecting on the event.
An Act Designed to Cause an Impression
The first consideration is that the government wanted to do everything possible to make this a historical act. It was not an ordinary vote but a dramatic statement of intent.
Eternal and Natural Law: The Foundation of Morals and Law
To fit the 925 MPs and senators, the government called a special joint session of parliament at the Palace of Versailles. The measure had already overwhelmingly passed in both legislative chambers. A joint session was held at this most prestigious place because a three-fifths majority of all legislators must approve any constitutional amendments.
The Republican Guard, in full regalia and with sabers drawn, formed a guard of honor (where only dishonor reigned) and solemnly drummed in the National Assembly’s first female president, Yaël Braun-Pivet, who entered in total silence.
After speeches emphasizing the importance of the issue, a vote was taken. Around 7 p.m., the Assembly president announced the results: “780 votes in favor, 72 votes against.” The legislators applauded the vote with a wild and prolonged standing ovation that recalled raucous scenes from the French Revolution.
In addition, the vote was broadcast live on every French news channel while hundreds gathered around a giant screen at the Paris Trocadéro opposite the Eiffel Tower. Thus, scenes of a jubilant crowd provided the street theater to give the impression of the support of “the People.”
The French legislators knew what they were doing and supplied all the ceremonial trappings to highlight the importance of this grave offense. They were also aware of how France has a unique capacity to hold symbolic events and, therefore, enjoys worldwide influence.
Mathilde Panot, a Member of Parliament from the far-left party France Unbowed, understood this impact when she proposed the amendment. She told the chamber that the move was “a promise…for all women fighting [for abortion] everywhere in the world.”
An Act that Offended God
The most important consideration is how this first enshrining of abortion into a national constitution is an offense against God. What made this act more tragic was that it was France.
France is the first-born daughter of the Church. For centuries, she has given the Church saints, crusaders, Catholic kings and statesmen. France lies at the heart of Christendom and is the model of a Christian civilization.
Learn All About the Prophecies of Our Lady of Good Success About Our Times
Thus, enshrining abortion was more than a legislative act. It was a monumental rejection of God’s law, a denial of France’s Christian past, and the celebration and exaltation of a moral evil. This historic rupture cannot fail to weigh heavily upon the nation.
The constitutional amendment is a sin that will have consequences. Sin is not only something personal. Nations can collectively sin when they accept things against God’s law.
Indeed, Saint Augustine teaches that since nations per se have no existence in eternity (only individuals do), they are rewarded or punished here on earth for their collective good or evil actions. Those directing nations who want peace for their peoples should lead them toward virtue and away from sin.
The Wages of Collective Sin
Indeed, secular France has long officially abandoned the Faith. Today, she is enmeshed in misfortune and violence, which has shattered her unity. The country has the largest number of “no-go zones” in Europe, with some 751 designated Zones Urbaines Sensibles (called “sensitive urban zones”), where Muslim youth gangs and radical imams rule, and the police dare not uphold law and order. In addition, more than 120 knife stabbings take place in France every day. There is also the unchecked immigration crisis, crime and civil strife. All these things are destroying France and represent a chastisement upon the nation for veering from its virtuous past.
This latest dramatic act of defying God’s law can only make matters much worse.
A Purposeful Attack
The final consideration concerns how this move to enshrine abortion into the French Constitution was purposeful and deliberate.
However, it was seemingly done without purpose.
Many observers rightly note that from the point of view of existing abortion law, the dramatic measure was not needed. France already provided one of Europe’s most secure and protective umbrellas for the slaughter of the unborn.
10 Razones Por las Cuales el “Matrimonio” Homosexual es Dañino y tiene que Ser Desaprobado
Tragically, well over eighty percent of the population supports abortion. All of France’s major political parties represented in Parliament support procured abortion, including Marine Le Pen’s “far-right” National Rally party and other misnamed conservatives. Madame Le Pen, who voted in favor of the constitutional amendment, seemed to give the issue little importance by commenting that “there is no need to make this a historic day.”
Despite this massive support, the debate about the abortion amendment revolved around the threats of those who would ban the killing of the unborn in Europe.
The pro-life movement in Europe is growing. Even in France, tens of thousands march for life yearly. The left realizes how the defense of the unborn can spread. The speakers in Versailles spoke from a position of weakness and insecurity. They felt the need to throw the most difficult legal obstacle conceivable across the path of those fighting abortion.
However, as history has proven, such legal roadblocks can be overturned against all odds and even after decades of procured abortion being “settled law” on the books. Fearful French liberals felt they needed to take some action.
The shameful March 4 amendment targeted not only France but especially the United States. Indeed, the promoters of the amendment openly admitted that America’s reversal of Roe v. Wade was the reason for their action.
American pro-lifers dared to challenge the revolutionary myth that procured abortion was irreversible. The Dobbs decision struck terror in the cold and cruel hearts of feminists and liberals everywhere. They believe that if abortion could be overturned in America, then abortion worldwide is vulnerable. The French constitutional amendment was their fiendish answer.
Photo Credit: © OceanProd – stock.adobe.com