Time has come to honor women who lost their lives due to illegal abortions with a memorial dedicated to them.
Rewritten Article:
In 2003, a proposition by writer Nancy Huston, published on our site, suggested that a monument be built in tribute to the victims of clandestine abortions – women who perished in such secrecy. Unfortunately, this idea didn't catch on. Fast forward to today, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Veil law and the enshrining of abortion rights in the Constitution, it's high time that monument be erected. Lady, let's make it happen!
Why, you ask? Well, prior to the Veil law, France witnessed decades of women suffocating in the grips of clandestine abortions. The tragic tale unfolded in pain, solitude, fear, and shame – with hospital records rarely acknowledging the fatal consequence.
The Clandestine Abortion Culture
The silence that shrouded these tragedies served more than just police evasion; it was also a tactic employed by the patriarchal system to conceal high numbers of deaths that would have caused an uproar. Keeping abortion a criminal act meant hiding its devastating consequences, making the victims' fate disappear without a trace.
Dive deeper into the interview: "De haute lutte" : The Long Struggle for the Right to Abortion - A Step Toward Women's Full Citizenship
Maintaining fear was crucial, too. Coercive trials and punishments for women undergoing abortions or helping them set dreadful examples. This year, the Senate decided to rehabilitate those women, a positive stride in remembrance. But what about the countless lives lost before 1975? Estimates tumble around several hundred deaths per year. Over nearly a century, the staggering loss totals around several thousand silent victims – women who succumbed to a patriarchal mandate.
That's just over half of the story.
The pre-Veil Law era in France saw a strict illegality of abortion, forcing many women to risk their lives with dangerous, clandestine procedures. The patriarchal system enforced societal norms that frowned upon women's autonomy and reproductive choices, leading to the suppression and punishment of those seeking abortions.
The Impact of the Patriarchal System:
1. Social and Legal Barriers:- The patriarchal society and laws privileged women's roles as baby makers and caregivers, making abortion socially intolerable and legally taboo.- This stigma pushed women into the shadows, terminating their dreams in silence and danger.
2. Inequality in Access to Abortion:- Wealthier women might have secured less risky, albeit illegal, abortions through medical connections or foreign travel, while the poor struggled with self-induced procedures or amateur practitioners.
The difficulty in determining the exact number of deaths due to clandestine abortions in France before the Veil Law is attributed to the clandestine nature of these procedures. The tragedy, however, is undeniable. The Veil Law, legalizing abortion in 1975, made significant strides in reducing these horrors and strengthening women's rights.
In essence, while the precise number of fatalities due to clandestine abortions in France remains undetermined, the patriarchal system's influence on forcing women to squander their lives through dangerous, illegal procedures is indisputable. By memorializing these victims and continuing the fight for justice, we honor their sacrifices and push forward feminist progress.
- To pay tribute to the silent victims of clandestine abortions in France, a monument should be erected, as suggested by Nancy Huston's article published back in 2003.
- In the pre-Veil Law era, the patriarchal system enforced societal norms that made abortion socially intolerable and legally taboo, leading to numerous deaths from dangerous, clandestine procedures.
- Despite the 50th anniversary of the Veil law enshrining abortion rights in the Constitution, it's crucial to remember the countless women who lost their lives to clandestine abortions before 1975.
- Science and health-and-wellness articles, such as "De haute lutte" : The Long Struggle for the Right to Abortion - A Step Toward Women's Full Citizenship, play a vital role in shedding light on the hidden stories of women who died due to clandestine abortions.
- The clandestine abortion culture suppressed the sexual and reproductive health rights of women in France, making it essential to advocate for the memorialization of victims and continued progress in women's health and sexual health.
