Abortion: The Bobigny Affair, A Law on Trial

Abstract

Marie-Claire, a schoolgirl, sixteen years old, was the eldest of three daughters of Madame Chevalier, an unmarried mother and an employee of the Paris M6tro. The family lived in a flat in a high-rise housing estate in a suburb of Paris, and the life was one of hardship, struggle and poverty. In August, 1971, as a result of a virtual rape, Marie-Claire became pregnant. Madame Chevalier was willing to help her support the child, but Marie-Claire did not want the infant which had been conceived in such a way, nor did she want her own life to follow the pattern of her mother's.

The book under review gives a brief account of Marie-Claire's hearing and a full transcription of the subsequent trial of Madame Bambuck, Madame Chevalier, and the latter's two Metro informants.