France has become the first country in the world to explicitly include the right to abortion in its constitution.

Parliamentarians voted 780-72 to revise the country’s 1958 constitution to enshrine women’s “guaranteed freedom” to abort. Abortion has been available on wide grounds in France for almost 50 years. About 200,000 terminations take place in the country each year versus about 680,000 births.

President Emmanuel Macron described the move as “French pride” that had sent a “universal message”.

However pro-life groups have strongly criticised the change.

And while several other countries include reproductive rights in their constitutions – France is the first to explicitly state that an abortion will be guaranteed.

It becomes the 25th amendment to modern France’s founding document, and the first since 2008.

Following the vote, the Eiffel Tower was lit up with the message: “My Body My Choice”.