French lawmakers are pushing for a change in the country’s abortion law that allows for doctors to refuse to do the procedure on moral grounds. The so-called “conscience clause” came into the spotlight after the president of the French union of gynecologists and obstetricians made statements equating abortion with murder. In neighbouring Italy, over 70 per cent of doctors refuse to do abortions on moral grounds. How does this clause affect abortion providers in France?

French lawmakers are pushing for a change in the country’s abortion law that allows for doctors to refuse to do the procedure on moral grounds. The so-called “conscience clause” came into the spotlight after the president of the French union of gynecologists and obstetricians made statements equating abortion with murder. In neighbouring Italy, over 70 per cent of doctors refuse to do abortions on moral grounds. How does this clause affect abortion providers in France?

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Among the voices in this piece are:

- Drs Emmanuelle Lhomme and Charlotte Besacier of the family planning clinic at the Hopital Cochin in Paris

- Marc Zaffran (aka Martin Winkler), French GP and abortion provider until 2008

French President Emmanuel Macron created a stir last week when he was filmed telling an unemployed gardener he could easily find a job by crossing the road and looking in high-demand sectors like restaurants and the hotel trade. Industry officials say there are indeed some 100,000 hotel and restaurant jobs that need filling in France. They’ve called on President Macron to fast-track asylum seekers with relevant experience to cover the shortage.

French President Emmanuel Macron created a stir last week when he was filmed telling an unemployed gardener he could easily find a job by crossing the road and looking in high-demand sectors like restaurants and the hotel trade. Industry officials say there are indeed some 100,000 hotel and restaurant jobs that need filling in France. They’ve called on President Macron to fast-track asylum seekers with relevant experience to cover the shortage.

It’s grape harvest season across France, but winemakers have been struggling to find enough people to do the work. Gone are the days of harvest parties, with friends and family members picking grapes and crushing them with their feet (they’re now crushed in mechanical presses). Today winemaking is more professional, and wineries now call on seasonal workers. But with spread-out harvest days, it is not easy to find people, even if the harvest remains a festive event in France.

It’s grape harvest season across France, but winemakers have been struggling to find enough people to do the work. Gone are the days of harvest parties, with friends and family members picking grapes and crushing them with their feet (they’re now crushed in mechanical presses). Today winemaking is more professional, and wineries now call on seasonal workers. But with spread-out harvest days, it is not easy to find people, even if the harvest remains a festive event in France.

Visa pour l'image in the French town of Perpignan is the world's largest photojournalism festival. You get to see free exhibitions on under-reported stories; photojournalists try and sell their pictures in an increasingly cash-strapped industry. From the war in Yemen to the Rohingya crisis, the ravages of chemical waste to massive industrial food production, there's plenty to get you thinking. And before you think it's all doom and gloom RFI has space for an uplifting post-conflict story. Walk with us through the town.

Visa pour l'image in the French town of Perpignan is the world's largest photojournalism festival. You get to see free exhibitions on under-reported stories; photojournalists try and sell their pictures in an increasingly cash-strapped industry. From the war in Yemen to the Rohingya crisis, the ravages of chemical waste to massive industrial food production, there's plenty to get you thinking. And before you think it's all doom and gloom RFI has space for an uplifting post-conflict story. Walk with us through the town.

With Samuel Bollendorff (Contamination), George Steinmetz (Big Food), Catalina Martin-Chicos (Columbia (Re)birth).

Visa pour l'image website

On the outskirts of Paris the children of refugee families from countries like Afghanistan, Eritrea and Sudan are being schooled within an emergency refugee centre. The unique experiment, launched just over a year ago, is challenging for staff and pupils alike but is deemed a success and has attracted huge attention abroad. Is this a model to follow?

60 young adults involved in civil society projects from all five continents are in Paris for the annual LabCitoyen (citizen's laboratory). Organised by the Institut Français, the theme this year is education and human rights. Four female participants from Nigeria, Egypt and New Zealand talk to RFI about their work in human rights back home and what they'll be taking away from their trip to France.