After the senate, the lower house of parliament has also given the green light to medically assisted reproduction, allowing all French women, including single women as well as lesbians, to participate in in-vitro fertilisation programmes covered by taxpayers money. Surrogate motherhood and postmortem insemination using the deceased spouse s sperm remain unauthorised choices.

On Wednesday the lower house of the French parliament adopted one of the priority measures of the bioethics bill. The vote was preceded by a heated debate with 66 votes in favour, 27 against and 3 abstentions. The measure allows all French women – i.e. single women or even lesbian couples – to use medically assisted reproduction to have a baby.

Right-wing parties were strongly opposed to the bill, which is almost identical with the first version. National Rally President Marine Le Pen made an interpellation against it in parliament in September 2019.

The idea that lesbian couples and single women could have access to artificial insemination, all covered by social security, was one of President Emmanuel Macron s campaign promises. However, the proposal has divided the French public, with its opponents staging regular protests. Those critical of Macron s proposal argue that if single mothers or one member of a lesbian couple are allowed to undergo artificial insemination, then the children they give birth to will grow up without a father, adversely affecting the children s personal development and socialisation.

The most recent demonstration against the draft legislation took place in January 2020, with 41 thousand people marching to the streets, according to government figures. The demonstration in October 2019 mobilised even larger crowds, with around 74,500 protesters coming from all corners of France.

The plans also included postmortem fertilisation using the deceased spouse s ovum and assisted reproduction in the case of transgender men. However, both proposals were voted down and these types of artificial insemination, just like surrogate motherhood, remain forbidden in France.

The opponents of the bill may feel some slight satisfaction as the lower house voted in favour of one of the amendments submitted by the Republicans. It states that in vitro fertilisation is only available to couples ( in other word: two people), while it remains unavailable to three people wanting a child together.