Surprising Anti-Abortion Slogans Appeared On Parisian Rental Bikes

The renowned bicycles have found themselves in the middle of a controversy this year, one that has its origins in a heated dispute at the very centre of French and European culture.

Since its introduction in 2007, Paris' public Vélib' rental bikes have been a success with visitors and residents alike, providing a convenient alternative to the city's overcrowded and uncomfortable subway system.

As for now, Vélib' cycles have been transformed into billboards by activists in recent weeks as part of a guerilla advertising campaign against abortion rights. Politicians and women's rights organizations are among those who have spoken out against the advertisements.

Beginning May, Parisians and visitors to the city woke up to discover local public bikes plastered with stickers depicting a fetus developing into a smiling child riding a bike with the tag-line, "And if you had let him live?"

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo criticized the stickers, calling them unacceptable and unlawful. Isabelle Rome, France's minister for gender equality, made a strong statement in defence of abortion rights.

After the stickers started appearing, the organization Les Survivants released a statement on their website, claiming credit for the guerilla effort. According to a statement released by the organisation on May 24, it was in reaction to campaigns to legalize abortion across France, as the organisation will not accept a double standard that elevates the right to abortion to the same status as the right to life.

The ad, according to Suzy Rotjman, a representative for the French National Collective for Women's Rights, shows that France needs to enact abortion legislation immediately. Since the United States has shown that this freedom is always vulnerable to threat, abortion rights activists are extremely concerned about the recent campaign.

French society was rocked in 2022 when the US Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that legalized abortion nationwide. President Emmanuel Macron responded by expressing his support for the women whose freedoms are being weakened by the Supreme Court of the US.

In the months that followed, French authorities made moves toward introducing legislation to write abortion protections into the country's founding document. Because of a dispute over terminology, the measure has stalled in both the lower and upper houses of Congress.

Some of France's neighbours, most notably Italy with its strong Roman Catholic traditions, are strongly opposed to abortion, which may have contributed to the deadlock in the legislature.

Eugenia Roccella, Italy's Minister of the Family, spoke out against expanding access to Mifepristone, a popular abortion medication, in an interview with the Italian daily Quotidiano Nazionale, arguing that doing so would amount to removing moral objection and the legal requirement for women. According to earlier reports, about 70% of Italian physicians refuse to perform abortions on the basis of "conscientious objection," making it very difficult for many women to undergo this medical procedure.

The People's Party and the Vox party, both on the political right, have been opposing Spain's abortion legislation since it went into force in 2010. Poland and Hungary are only two of the European countries that have taken similar steps to restrict abortion.

Meanwhile, Vélib', the firm in charge of Paris's public bike system, has expressed its displeasure at having its two-wheeled customers brought into the discussion. They stated the sticker campaign was rude and might have led to confusion among the people. The company claimed to have initiated legal proceedings against the pro-life organization.

Vélib' President Sylvain Raifaud stated that it is alarming that certain individuals flout all advertising restrictions and stressed that those responsible must be punished.

In addition, Raifaud promised that the bicycles will be restored to working order as soon as possible. Vélib' has not yet issued a statement on the number of affected bikes or an ETA for service restoration.

 

Source: edition.cnn.com