Monique Pelletier, Minister of the Status of Women during the government of Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, to whom we owe the criminalization of rape and the perpetuation of the veil law on abortion, died on Sunday, October 19 at the age of 99, announced the ministry responsible for Equality between women and men.
“France is losing a great voice in favor of women’s rights, their dignity and equality. Their commitment has opened great achievements and leaves an immense legacy,” reacted Aurore Bergé, Minister of Equality between women and men, in X.
Minister of the Status of Women from 1978 to 1979 and then of the Status of Women and the Family from 1979 to 1981, Monique Pelletier worked in particular for the criminalization of rape, which was then nothing more than a crime, and for the perpetuation of the veil law, which was initially planned for only five years. He had seven children.
“A free woman and an exemplary republican”
Appointed by Jacques Chirac in 2000, this former lawyer of the Paris Bar was part of the Constitutional Council until 2004, replacing Roland Dumas, who resigned.
“The Constitutional Council salutes the memory of a free woman, a great jurist and an exemplary republican,” this institution stated in a press release. “A woman of commitment and conviction, she dedicated her life to the service of the Republic, justice and equality.”
In 2016 she signed a column to denounce impunity for sexual harassment, claiming to have been attacked by a senator, 37 years after the events.
For a long time, this honorary president of the National Disability Council has spoken publicly, particularly through her X account (formerly Twitter), denouncing the nursing home scandal or expressing her concern for the fate of women victims of violence. In 2019, she stated that there were “many advances to be made and preserved” in terms of women’s rights, in an interview with Le Point.
“Many women continue to ignore their rights or are still not sufficiently sought after for their qualities,” she was outraged.
Source: BFM TV
