Court ruling sets stage for abortion row in France

0 Comments | AFP, February, 2008

PARIS (AFP) — A ruling by France's supreme court on the right of parents to name a miscarried or stillborn foetus could stoke debate about the country's abortion laws and embryo research, lawyers and activists said Thursday.

The Court of Cassation, France's highest judicial court, handed down the decision late Wednesday.

It said parents had the right to have a name officially registered for a foetus that had been stillborn or miscarried, regardless of the foetal stage of development.

The court upheld a suit filed by three plaintiffs who had miscarriages between the 18th and 22nd week of pregnancy, with foetuses weighing between 155 and 400 grammes (5.5 and 14 ounces), but had been barred from registering a name with the authorities.

Until now, French...