Halimi, Gisèle (1927–)

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Halimi, Gisèle (1927–)

French lawyer and feminist. Name variations: Gisele Halimi. Born Gisèle Zeiza Elisa Taieb in La Goulette, Tunisia, in 1927; attended a lycée in Tunis: obtained a degree in law and philosophy from the University of Paris, 1948; m. Paul Halimi; m. Charles Faux; children: 3 sons.

A practicing lawyer since 1956, gained recognition as the lawyer for Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) and as counsel for Algerian nationalist Djamila Boupacha (1960); founded Choisir (1971), a feminist group organized to protect the women who had signed the Manifeste des 343, admitting to receiving illegal abortions; campaigned for passage of the contraception and abortion laws that were eventually framed by Simone Veil (1974); also served as representative on many cases involving women's issues, and attracted national publicity for her part in the Bobigny abortion trial (1972); authored La cause des femmes (1973) and initiated and contributed to the collective work Le Programme commun des femmes (1978), which addressed women's medical, educational, and professional problems; elected as an Independent Socialist to the National Assembly (1981).