Monique Pelletier | |
|---|---|
| Member of theConstitutional Council | |
| In office 28 March 2000 – 8 March 2004 | |
| Appointed by | Jacques Chirac |
| Preceded by | Roland Dumas |
| Succeeded by | Pierre Steinmetz |
| Minister Responsible for Women's Rights | |
| In office 12 September 1978 – 4 March 1981 | |
| Preceded by | Françoise Giroud |
| Succeeded by | Yvette Roudy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Monique Denyse Bédier (1926-07-25)25 July 1926 Trouville-sur-Mer, France |
| Died | 19 October 2025(2025-10-19) (aged 99) Neuilly-sur-Seine, France |
| Political party | UDF |
| Education | Lycée Racine |
| Occupation | Judge |
Monique Pelletier (French:[mɔnikpɛltje]; 25 July 1926 – 19 October 2025) was a French judge and politician of theUnion for French Democracy (UDF).[1] She was a part of a generation of women in French politics in the later twentieth century, and advocated for women's rights throughout her career. She served on theConstitutional Council for four years, and was the third woman to serve on the council.
Born inTrouville-sur-Mer in Normandy on 25 July 1926, Pelletier studied at theLycée Racine inParis.[2] She earned her law license and was admitted to theParis Bar [fr] at the age of 19.[3] From 1948 to 1960, she was anassessor inSeine, then inNanterre from 1966 to 1975.[4] From 1969 to 1974, she headed the women's committee for theCentre Democracy and Progress.[5] In1971, she was elected to the municipal council ofNeuilly-sur-Seine and became deputy mayor in1977.[3] That year, she was tasked byPresidentValéry Giscard d'Estaing to draft a report on the drug problem in France, in which she urged the government to provide more support for drug addicts.[6]
In 1978, Pelletier was namedsecretary of state toMinister of JusticeAlain Peyrefitte. That September, she was namedMinister Responsible for Women's Rights, succeedingFrançoise Giroud.[7] She endorsed the renewal of theVeil Act, which legalized abortion, in 1979[6] and the criminalization of rape in 1980.[8] In January 1979, she had theCouncil of Ministers adopt "five measures in favor of women" to experiment with quotas for women on lists of candidates for elections.[9] The proposal was passed by theNational Assembly, but failed in theSenate due to a lack of support.[10]
Alongside Françoise Giroud andSimone Veil, Pelletier was a key player among the new generation of women in French politics.[6] She joined the UDF upon its formation in 1978,[11] opposing theRepublican Party figures such asAlain Madelin,François Léotard, andCharles Millon.[12] During the1981 presidential election, she campaigned for incumbent Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and was a spokeswoman his committees.[13] After Giscard's defeat in the election and her defeat in the followinglegislative election, she returned to private practice with Ngo Cohen Amir-Aslani.[7]
On 22 March 2000, Pelletier was nominated to theConstitutional Council by PresidentJacques Chirac, replacingRoland Dumas.[14] The third woman to ever serve on the Council, she was succeeded byPierre Steinmetz on 8 March 2004.[15] After her retirement, she became involved in the rights of disabled people following a stroke suffered by her husband.[16] In 2016, it was revealed that she had been sexually assaulted by a member of the Senate in 1979, who forcibly kissed her at the end of an interview.[17]
Pelletier died atNeuilly-sur-Seine on 19 October 2025, at the age of 99.[18][19]
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