In France, abortion rights and hijab bans highlight a double standard on women’s rights

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In France, ********* rights and hijab bans highlight a double standard on women’s rights

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

The French parliament recently voted in favor of enshrining the

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. While crowds celebrated outside, the slogan “my body my choice” was projected onto the Eiffel Tower

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.

Although concerns about

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still remain, women in France are now guaranteed the right to an ********* up to 14 weeks into their pregnancy, mirroring Spain but still

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Sweden’s 18 weeks and the 24 weeks allowed in The Netherlands.

The decision comes at a time when women’s reproductive rights elsewhere are under threat. In contrast to the ******* States Supreme Court’s decision

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, France’s vote to enshrine them into its constitution looks like a feminist dream.

In his triumphant speech, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said,

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Yet just last year, Attal, as education minister, banned ******* ****** from wearing

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. His message—and France’s—to ******* ****** and women seems to be the opposite.

Hijab bans

France’s double standard on women’s rights is most plainly seen in its treatment of ******* women and ******. A week after its historic ********* vote, France marks 20 years since the adoption of the

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that bans students in public schools from wearing conspicuous symbols or clothing that manifest a religious affiliation.

In principle, the 2004 law applies to all students and prohibits them from wearing religious symbols like crosses, kippas (yarmulkes) and hijabs. But in practice, it is a sexist and ******* law that

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.

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showed how ******* ****** are racially and religiously profiled by school administrators and have been suspended or expelled for wearing hoodies, hats,

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and

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. Last year, they were also

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, which are long garments that are worn over clothing.

In my research, I refer to these bans as “anti-veiling laws” because, although they speak of religious symbols in general, the primary motivation behind these is always ******* women’s dress.

France’s law led other jurisdictions across Europe and North America to ban ******* women’s attire in various contexts.

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from the Open Society Justice Initiative found that out of the 27 ********* Union member countries, only five have never enacted, or attempted to enact, bans on veiling.

Meanwhile, Québec holds the distinction of being the only province in Canada to implement a

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.

Former Québec Premier Pauline Marois cited the French law as being an

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for her government’s *******

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, known as the Charter of Québec Values. That bill was a precursor to

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, which bans teachers, judges, prosecutors, police officers and other officials in positions of authority from wearing religious symbols.

Discrimination against ******* women

Even though the laws are worded neutrally, claiming to defend abstract principles like secularism, religious neutrality, gender equality or “

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,” in practice they are

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.

Human rights groups like

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and the

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have demonstrated that the surveillance, suspension and expulsion of ******* ****** at school have led to a decrease in their

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.

In addition to

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against them, these bans also violate their right to education without discrimination, a right that is upheld in several international treaties, including the ******* Nations

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.

However, the most insidious aspect of France’s 2004 law is how it has been used to justify even further restrictions on the rights of ******* women and ******, such as women wearing

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, mothers wishing to accompany their children on

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and

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who

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.

In fact, ******* women are routinely told to take off their clothes or to wear less clothing, even in places or contexts where they legally have the right to wear whatever they want, including at

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and

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.

Body sovereignty

This brings us back to the issue of a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body. Access to ********* is an important right for women everywhere, but women’s rights extend beyond *********.

The concept of body sovereignty was developed by Indigenous feminists and activists, and refers to a person’s autonomy over their own body as well as to their

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,

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and ways of being that are

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,

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, non-Eurocentric, non-ableist and

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. It includes everything from diet, clothing, ******* activity and beauty ideals to reproductive health and freedom from *********.

Anti-veiling laws discriminate against ******* women and ******,

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and undermine the principle of body sovereignty.

Feminists and pro-choice activists everywhere should pause and think about what it means for governments to guarantee ********* rights to women while denying them the more expansive concept of body sovereignty. If feminists and their allies are outraged when theocratic regimes impose religious dress on women, they should be similarly outraged when democratic governments also restrict what women can wear: these are two sides of the same coin.

Both undermine women’s freedom, body sovereignty and self-determination. It is time for feminists everywhere to demand an end to laws that force women to dress one way or another, regardless of where in the world they are enacted.

Provided by
The Conversation

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under a Creative Commons license. Read the

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Citation:
In France, ********* rights and hijab bans highlight a double standard on women’s rights (2024, March 16)
retrieved 16 March 2024
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