The Manifesto of the 343 (French: manifeste des 343), also known as the Manifesto of the 343 Sluts, was a declaration that was signed by 343 women advocating for reproductive rights and admitting to having had an abortion when abortions were illegal in France, thereby exposing themselves to criminal prosecution. The manifesto appeared in the French magazine Le Nouvel Observateur on April 5, 1971. It was also known in a poor English translation of the word "salopes" as the "Manifesto of the 343 Bitches".
Contents
The text
The text of the manifesto was written by Simone de Beauvoir. It began (as translated into English):
One million women in France have abortions every year. Condemned to secrecy they do so in dangerous conditions, while under medical supervision this is one of the simplest procedures. We are silencing these millions of women. I declare that I am one of them. I declare that I have had an abortion. Just as we demand free access to contraception, we demand the freedom to have an abortion.
Impact
The week after the manifesto appeared, the front page of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo carried a drawing attacking male politicians with the question "Qui a engrossé les 343 salopes du manifeste sur l'avortement?" ("Who got the 343 sluts [bitches] from the abortion manifesto pregnant?") This drawing by Cabu gave the manifesto its nickname.
It was the inspiration for a February 3, 1973, manifesto by 331 doctors declaring their support for abortion rights:
We want freedom of abortion. It is entirely the woman's decision. We reject any entity that forces her to defend herself, perpetuates an atmosphere of guilt, and allows underground abortions to persist ....
It contributed above all to the adoption, in December 1974–January 1975, of the "Veil law", named for Health Minister Simone Veil, that repealed the penalty for voluntarily terminating a pregnancy during the first ten weeks (later extended to twelve weeks).