Simone Veil is much credited with introducing the French abortion law in 1975.

History of the French abortion law

In 1975, French minister Simone Veil introduced legalized abortion in France for up to 12 weeks gestation for women in distress. The caveat was, a pregnant women must claim to be in distress. This criteria acted as a safety valve for abortion on demand. Simone Veil was then the minister of health and relaxed access to contraceptives in late 1974. Termination was a crime in France until the French abortion law was passed in 1975. Simone Veil is singularly credited for legalizing pregnancy termination procedures there. The then minister for health went against the Church in Rome and the Grand Rabbi of France of her Judaic religion. Simone Veil proved herself to be an iron lady in France.

The present gender equality bill

Today, Simone Veil’s abortion bill is under review. The French government are bringing in a raft of changes to promote gender equality in the daily life of women in France. Women are still under represented at almost every area of French commerce & politics. The proposed gender equality bill will penalize political parties, educational institutions, self interest organizations and businesses who fail to employ women in equal measure. Equality measures include the right to terminate pregnancies, or to bear a child regardless of distress or not. It could alleviate business fears on down time due to maternity leave.

photo credit: European Parliament via photopin cc

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