From Nazi Germany's surrender to the historic Paris climate accord, 2025 marks a year of pivotal anniversaries that have shaped the world. As France reflects on Simone Veil's groundbreaking fight for abortion rights 50 years ago and mourns a decade since terror struck the heart of Paris, we also commemorate 80 years since the dawn of the nuclear age, 35 years since Nelson Mandela's walk to freedom, and an intrepid Moroccan scholar's transformative journey seven centuries ago.
In a watershed moment for women's rights in France, parliament passed the Veil Law on 17 January 1975, decriminalising abortion. Coming eight years after the Neuwirth Law legalised contraception, the legislation followed campaigns where 343 women publicly declared having had abortions and 331 doctors admitted performing them. The law, championed by Health Minister Simone Veil, was made permanent in 1979.