Judgment, 2 June 1987.
The Court of Appeal of Douai held that a viable fetus that died subsequent to a traffic accident in which its mother was injured was a protected person under the voluntary homicide statute.  It based its decision on the fact that "the law guarantees respect for every human being from the beginning of its life" and reasoned that, if the fetus had only been injured in the accident and born alive, it would have been protected by the law.
D003415:Crime; D003710:Demography; D019049:Developed Countries; D005060:Europe; D005313:Fetal Death; D005602:France; D006708:Homicide; D007603:Jurisprudence; D009026:Mortality; D011153:Population; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012940:Social Problems
Court Decision; Crime; Demographic Factors; Developed Countries; Europe; Fetal Death--legal aspects; France; Homicide; Mediterranean Countries; Mortality; Population; Population Dynamics; Social Problems; Western Europe