France officially inscribed the guaranteed "freedom" of abortion in its Constitution on Friday, March 8, almost 50 years after the 1975 Veil Law decriminalized the procedure in the country. First enacted for five years, the Veil Law – named after then-health minister Simone Veil – became definitive when it was passed on December 31, 1979. But under this first text, restrictions and access to abortion were very different.

In this two-minute video, Le Monde takes a look at how abortion rights have evolved since the landmark law.