page_title: Abortion in France
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Abortion in France / History
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Simone Veil. Während einer Podiumsdiskussion zum Thema "Frankreichs und Israels Freundschaft zu Bewahrung des Friedens" organisiert von der UMP im Japy Gymnasium am 27. Februar 2008 vor dem Hintergrund des kommunalen Wahlkampfs English: Simone Veil. Political rally organized by the UMP at the Japy Gymnasium on February 27, 2008 on the theme “France and Israel's friendship at the service of peace”, during the campaign for the 2008 town elections. Français&#160;: Simone Veil. Réunion publique organisée par l'UMP au gymnase Japy le 27 février 2008 sur la thématique «&#160;France-Israël&#160;: une amitié au service de la paix&#160;», dans le cadre des élections municipales de 2008. Српски / srpski: Симон Веј. Политички митинг у организацији UMP (Гимназија „Жапи”, 27. фебруар 2008) на тему „Франскуско и израелско пријатељство у служби мира”, током кампање за градске изборе 2008. Српски (ћирилица)‎: Симон Веј. Политички митинг у организацији UMP (Гимназија „Жапи”, 27. фебруар 2008) на тему „Франскуско и израелско пријатељство у служби мира”, током кампање за градске изборе 2008. Srpski (latinica)‎: Simon Vej. Politički miting u organizaciji UMP (Gimnazija „Žapi”, 27. februar 2008) na temu „Franskusko i izraelsko prijateljstvo u službi mira”, tokom kampanje za gradske izbore 2008.
context_page_description: Abortion in France is legal on demand up to 12 weeks after conception. Abortions at later stages of pregnancy are allowed if two physicians certify that the abortion will be done to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman; a risk to the life of the pregnant woman; or that the child will suffer from a particularly severe illness recognized as incurable. The abortion law was liberalized by the Veil Law in 1975.
context_section_description: In the Middle Ages, abortion was considered a cardinal sin by Catholic Church teaching. Abortion was legalized during the French revolution, but was re-criminalized in France with the imposition of the 1810 Napoleonic Code, which punished any person who procured an abortion with imprisonment. In 1939, the Penal Code was altered to permit an abortion that would save the pregnant woman's life. During the German occupation during World War II, the Vichy régime made abortion a capital crime. The last person to be executed for abortion was Marie-Louise Giraud, who was guillotined on 30 July 1943. Following the war, the death penalty for abortion was abolished, but abortion continued to be prosecuted vigorously.
  Illegal abortion rates remained fairly high during the post-war period, and increasing numbers of women began to travel to the United Kingdom to procure abortions after the UK legalized abortion in 1967. France legalized abortion in Law 75-17 of 18 January 1975, which permitted a woman to receive an abortion on request until the tenth week of pregnancy. After a trial period, Law 75-17 was adopted permanently in December 1979. 
  Since 1982, much of the costs of abortions are taken in charge by the French social security system.
  France was the first country to legalize the use of RU-486 as an abortifacient in 1988, allowing its use up to seven weeks of pregnancy under supervision of a physician. By a United Nations Population Division estimate, 19% of all French abortions used RU-486 as of 2002.
caption: Simone Veil, a key figure in the legalization of abortion in 1975
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