Marie-Claire Chevalier (12 July 1955 – 23 January 2022) was a French abortion rights activist. She was defended in the by
Gisèle Halimi
Gisèle Halimi (born Zeiza Gisèle Élise Taïeb, ; 27 July 1927 – 28 July 2020) was a Tunisian-French lawyer, politician, essayist and feminist activist.
Biography
Zeiza Gisèle Élise Taïeb was born in La Goulette, Tunisia, on 27 July 192 ...
in 1972. The victory in this trial was key for the legalization of
abortion in France
Abortion in France is legal upon request until 14 weeks after conception (16 weeks after the pregnant woman's last menstrual period). Abortions at later stages of pregnancy up until birth are allowed if two physicians certify that the abortion ...
Meung-sur-Loire
Meung-sur-Loire () is a commune in the Loiret department, north-central France.
It was the site of the Battle of Meung-sur-Loire in 1429.
Geography
Meung-sur-Loire lies 15 km to the west of Orléans on the north bank of the river Loir ...
on 12 July 1955. She grew up in a working-class family alongside her mother and two sisters in . At the age of 16, she was raped by an 18-year-old male classmate who attended the same secondary school as her. She then found herself pregnant and asked her mother, Michèle Chevalier, to help her find a means of abortion. She received an abortion underground, as it was illegal in France at the time, but she suffered from
hemorrhaging
Bleeding, hemorrhage, haemorrhage or blood loss, is blood escaping from the circulatory system from damaged blood vessels. Bleeding can occur internally, or externally either through a natural opening such as the mouth, nose, ear, urethra, ...
and required hospitalization.
Arrested for a case of grand theft auto unrelated to the rape, Chevalier's rapist revealed her abortion as a means to escape prosecution and obtain his release. Shortly thereafter, Chevalier was arrested and imprisoned. She was defended in the Bobigny trial by Gisèle Halimi, alongside four other women. She was released on 11 October 1972 after a trial behind closed doors, due to her status as a minor. The trial was described as a "political affair" by Halimi and
Simone de Beauvoir
Simone Lucie Ernestine Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir (, ; ; 9 January 1908 – 14 April 1986) was a French existentialist philosopher, writer, social theorist, and feminist activist. Though she did not consider herself a philosopher, nor was she ...
. In her 1973 book, ''Le procès de Bobigny'', Halimi defended Chevalier's decision to abort and said it was a "citizen act of civic disobedience". The impact of the verdict led to the passing of the Veil Act in January 1975, which legalized abortion in France.
After the trial and verdict, Chevalier continued to suffer from the traumatic event and attempted suicide. However, she maintained some anonymity and worked as a nurse's aide near
Orléans
Orléans (,"Orleans" (US) and In 1988, she gave birth to a daughter, and years later, became a grandmother.
In 2006, she commented on Halimi's book, ''Le procès de Bobigny'', mentioning that the Veil Act was "a little thanks to me that it was voted, it was a bit mine". The year before, a blue metal footbridge was named in her honor in
Bobigny
Bobigny () is a commune, or town, in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, Île-de-France, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Bobigny is the prefecture (capital city) of the Seine-Saint-Denis department, as well as the seat of the ...
in front of the commune's courthouse, but it was closed in 2021.
Chevalier died from brain cancer at a hospital in Orleans on 23 January 2022 at the age of 66.