# Veil Law legalizes abortion (1975)

URL: https://history-france.com/timeline/1975-veil-law-legalizes-abortion
Location: France

Legislation championed by Simone Veil legalized abortion under regulated conditions. Within the broader Fifth Republic period, The 1958 Constitution created a stronger presidency and a durable Fifth Republic. Decolonization, European integration, social change, economic shocks and recurring debates over identity, secularism and the role of the state have shaped contemporary France. At this point in the timeline, the relevant governing authority is Valéry Giscard d’Estaing (President of the French Republic). Veil Law legalizes abortion mattered because it changed the legal or constitutional framework within which French institutions and citizens operated. The event is positioned here so visitors can read it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion, culture and France’s wider international setting.

## Why it matters
Veil Law legalizes abortion mattered because it changed the legal or constitutional framework within which French institutions and citizens operated.

Ruler at the time: [Valéry Giscard d’Estaing](https://history-france.com/rulers/valery-giscard-d-estaing)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Veil Law legalizes abortion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Veil+Law+legalizes+abortion&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Veil Law legalizes abortion](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Veil+Law+legalizes+abortion)
- [Élysée — Institutions of the Fifth Republic](https://www.elysee.fr/en/french-presidency/the-institutions)