Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash
The ideals of Liberté, Egalité, and Fraternité sparked the French Revolution over two centuries ago and transformed the world. With its recent constitutional enshrinement of reproductive rights, France has reaffirmed its commitment to these principles, writes Alyssa Milano.
I recently visited the beautiful city of Paris for a fan convention. Reuniting with my dear friend and Charmed co-star Julian McMahon in the City of Light was a magical experience. As we posed together with the Eiffel Tower rising majestically behind us, I couldn’t help but reflect on the current challenges and victories in the ongoing fight for women’s rights.
Across the globe, the hard-won rights of women are under relentless attack. Here in the United States, we’ve seen a devastating rollback of reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy. My heart breaks for the millions of women and girls who now face perilous barriers in accessing essential healthcare.
But as I gazed across the Seine, I felt a renewed sense of hope and possibility. Unfortunately, those hopeful feelings were tempered by the context of a growing Far Right that is hungry to strip away minority and women’s rights while continuing to erode the rights of all people.
That is why I find France to be in a moment of truth. On the one hand, by stitching reproductive rights into the fabric of its constitution, the French nation has chosen to embody the spirit of Marianne and the Republic’s cherished values of liberty and equality for all people. On the other hand, across the US, Europe, and yes, even France, the hard-won rights of women are under relentless attack by forces reminiscent of the reactionaries who opposed the French Revolution.
As a US citizen, I often find myself reaching for the French republican ideals of liberty, fraternity, and equality to right the ship of our nation. Unfortunately, we in the US must contend with Donald Trump, a sad little man who bragged about grabbing women’s genitals without consent. I smile when I think about how Marianne would handle a man like that.
But despite their nationalist rhetoric, the Far Right is globally coordinated, and Trump does not exist in a vacuum. Let us not forget that Brexit took place mere months before Hillary Clinton’s loss in 2016. Trump is actively coordinating with his Far Right knockoffs, his “mini-Trumps” across Europe. To gain greater momentum against Joe Biden, he’s depending on them to take the European Parliament in next week’s critical elections.
To truly position itself as a leader in the global fight for freedom and equality, the French people must not succumb to complacency. Authoritarian strongmen, the would-be heirs of fascism, are once again peddling hate, bigotry, and misogyny to the masses. They promise a return to “traditional values,” which is just a thinly veiled code for stripping away women’s rights and dismantling democracy. Sound familiar? These tin-pot tyrants are cheap knockoffs of latter-day Napoleons or modern-day Hitlers.
As Europe’s mini-Trumps gain traction, from AfD to the National Rally, we must stand together and vote them out. I urge the French people to go to the polls in the upcoming elections, not only for the sake of Europe but for the sake of our shared democratic values. After all, the Greatest Generation in the US was
not sent by the White House to defeat the Nazis, only for the White House to be run by them. And Europe did not suffer unspeakable horrors at the hands of such “leaders” only to once again be overrun by them.
So it was inspiring to see how women in Europe are already using the “heart finger” to express love for women’s rights at the ballot box. This symbol, proudly displayed by my dear friends Mark Ruffalo and Ramy Youseff at the 2024 Academy Awards, is a beautiful reminder that, like those two fingers, when we unite in solidarity across divides, we become the beating heart of humanity. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that those two fingers together also form a V, reminiscent of the Victory symbol that ushered in the end of European fascism.
To my French sisters, I implore you: Signez l’Initiative Citoyenne Européenne (My Voice, My Choice) and vote in the upcoming European elections. Vote like your rights depend on it—because they do. Help elect leaders who will champion women’s freedom and human rights.
This fight extends to all of life. The war on women’s rights is part of a broader assault on the feminine, including Mother Earth herself. Poised to follow Trump’s playbook, Europe’s mini-Trumps are ready to tear down crucial climate agreements. Losing the EU’s vital climate leadership would be catastrophic. On behalf of our children and grandchildren, we cannot let this stand.
But the women of Europe won’t be fooled. They won’t allow our hard-fought progress to be rolled back by misogynistic, climate-denying, immigrant-bashing extremists. By standing tall for reproductive rights, France rekindles the flame of resistance against the full spectrum of the far-right’s regressive agenda. May that spirit spread and ignite a movement grounded in the sacred ideals of the French Revolution as a beacon of light for Europe and the world.
The Author, Alyssa Milano, is an American Actress known for her starring role in the Charmed TV series.
