The deputies expressed hope that the law will be passed before summer. Marie-Charlotte Garin, one of the authors of the initiative, noted at the meeting: “Marriage should not be a closed space where consent to sexual relations is accepted as final and indisputable.”
Although the French Civil Code does not explicitly state the obligation of spouses to maintain sexual relations, it does indicate that “spouses are obligated to lead a family life together.” Sarah Legrin, a deputy from “Unsubmissive France” and the initiator of the bill, believes that vague wording could be interpreted by courts as a “duty to share a bed.”
The aim of this bill, according to Legrin, is “to prevent absurd interpretations of the Civil Code in divorce cases.” In 2019, the Versailles Court of Appeal ruled in favor of a man who sought a divorce due to his wife's refusal of intimacy. Legrin emphasized that the initiative is also aimed at combating violence in marriage.
