Marie-Claire Chevalier was a 16-year-old high school student in France when she was raped in 1971 by a schoolmate. She had an abortion, which was illegal at the time in strongly Catholic France — and likely would have resulted in a lengthy prison sentence if revealed. And it was revealed, by the 18-year-old alleged assailant in a plea deal to avoid his prosecution for auto theft. He walked free, and Chevalier went on trial in October 1972.