In France, the sacred date for abortion rights advocates is 1972, the year of the “Bobigny trial” that helped decriminalize abortion in the country, three months before the Roe v. Wade ruling. At the center of the trial, which captivated the French public, was Marie-Claire Chevalier, a 16-year-old girl who became pregnant when she was raped by a classmate. It allowed for a comprehensive defense of abortion rights, with insights ranging from physiology to philosophy. Marie-Claire’s trial marked a shift in policy and public opinion, as the ruling flouted the 1920 law for the first time. Halimi heralded Marie-Claire’s abortion as a “citizen act of civil disobedience.” Yet it had been emotionally punishing and physically traumatic for the teenager.

Source: Washington Post June 25, 2022 11:17 UTC