A golden statue of Simone Veil (1927-2017), the French politician famous for legalising abortion in France in 1975, was unveiled at the Olympics opening ceremony in Paris on Friday.
Ten golden statues were raised along the River Seine at the opening of the 2024 Paris Olympics to celebrate French women, including Veil and feminist philosopher Simone de Beauvoir, also noted for her pro-abortion activism.
Veil was Health Minister in France from 1974 to 1979, during which time she pushed for the legalisation of abortion, known as the Veil Act, which the Olympics opening ceremony celebrated on Friday, 26 July, citing her contribution.
Another statue celebrated Simone de Beauvoir who also campaigned for abortion legalisation. Her famous 1971 petition – the Manifesto of the 343, in which women of note declared they had illegal abortions – influenced the Veil Act.
De Beauvoir also signed the petition, though it is believed that she never had an abortion.
Earlier this year, on 4 March, French politicians voted to add the right to abortion to France’s Constitution, following President Emmanuel Macron’s pledge to make the Veil Act “irreversible”. The slogan “My Body My Choice” was later projected onto the Eiffel Tower.
The 2024 opening ceremony was slammed for parodying the iconic Christian image of the Last Supper. Recreating da Vinci’s famous painting, organisers replaced Jesus and his disciples with gaudily dressed drag queens.
Bishop Robert Barron, a well-known Catholic and commentator, condemned the scene as a “gross, flippant mockery” of Christianity.
SPUC comment
A SPUC spokesperson said: “The grotesque scenes along the Seine last Friday show just how far France has fallen in recent years, lauding the so-called right to abortion and denigrating Christianity, so central to its history.
“We can see how the ethic of abortion goes hand in hand with an uglification of culture, which France was once celebrated for around the world, but no longer. Using an opening ceremony to laud abortion is also reprehensible but not surprising in 2024.
“Ultimately, the Olympics, which is supposed to be a celebration of life as well as sport, should not be hijacked in such a gross and political way.”
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