Translated with AI
The French National Assembly, the country's lower house of parliament, unanimously approved a bill abolishing mandatory sexual relations between spouses, eliminating the so-called "marital debt," Agence France-Presse reports.
The initiative was prompted by a contentious divorce between an elderly couple, in which the court had previously sided with the husband, who had accused his wife of failing to fulfill her marital obligations. It was later discovered that this practice violated the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
According to MP Marie-Charlotte Garin, marriage cannot be considered a place where "consent to sexual relations is acquired, final, and lifelong." The MP emphasized the need to eliminate the legal ambiguity that existed in the French Civil Code.
Previously, the country's civil code stipulated four marital obligations: fidelity, assistance, support, and cohabitation. However, the code did not include any obligations related to sexual relations. Nevertheless, judicial practice interpreted the concept of "cohabitation" to include sexual relations, thus preserving the idea of "marital duty."
"We must change the law so that this concept no longer exists, either in the law or in people's minds," noted Marie-Charlotte Garin. She added that the adopted bill clearly clarifies the absence of any obligation to engage in sexual relations within marriage.
According to procedure, after approval by the lower house, the document will be submitted to the upper house of parliament, the Senate. Deputies hope to pass the law before the summer of 2026.
The new legislative initiative aims to protect the rights of spouses and eliminate legal ambiguity, ensuring the recognition of marriage as a union based on mutual consent and respect for personal boundaries.
