French conservatives protest bill allowing IVF for lesbians

By CHRIS DEN HOND and ANGELA CHARLTON
October 6, 2019

PARIS (AP) — Several thousand conservative activists of all ages marched through Paris on Sunday to protest a French bill that would give lesbian couples and single women access to in vitro fertilization and related procedures.

“Where is my dad?” read some signs as traditional Catholic groups, far-right activists and other marchers weaved from the Luxembourg Garden to the Montparnasse neighborhood, passing by the French Senate.

Police guarded several Paris streets as the protest unfolded, notably to prevent tensions with LGBT activists holding a small counter-demonstration in support of the bill. Both were peaceful.

The conservatives’ march was organized by the same groups that held mass demonstrations against France’s legalization of gay marriage in 2013, who are hoping their opposition to the IVF bill provides new fuel for their movement.

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France IVF bill: Protests gather thousands in Paris

6 October 2019

Large crowds have taken to the streets of Paris in opposition to a bill that would give single women and lesbian couples access to fertility treatments.

If passed, the new law would be France's first major social reform since the legalisation of gay marriage in 2013.

IVF treatment in France is currently restricted to heterosexual couples.

The draft bill has been passed by the lower house of parliament. It will go before the Senate later this month.

Predictions on the number of protesters varied, with one research group saying 74,000 attended while organisers put the figure at around 600,000. Police put the attendance at 42,000.

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