France became the first country to constitutionally enshrine the right to an abortion during a joint session of parliament on Monday.

The proposed change received a 780-72 majority vote by MPs and Senators in the Palace de Versailles.

“We’re sending a message to all women: your body belongs to you and no one can decide for you,” French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal told politicians gathered for the special vote on Monday.

Women in France have had the legal right to an abortion since 1974, however, French activists began pushing for guaranteed access to abortions for all women after the United States’ reversal of the Roe v Wade ruling in 2022.

Laura Slimani, an activist from the Fondation des Femmes, told the BBC, “There’s a lot of emotion, as a feminist activist, also as a woman,” she said.

French politician Mathilde Panot initially proposed safeguarding the right to abortion in the constitution and said this change was a promise to women around the world.

“Your fight is ours. This victory is yours,” she said.