Jean Foyer (21 April 1921, Contigné, Maine-et-Loire – 3 October 2008,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

) was a French politician and minister. He studied law and became a law professor at the university. He wrote several books about French Civil law.

Political career

Between 1962 and 1967, he was

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

, during this time he directed several important legal reforms on several subjects (family, ownership and business, nationality, etc.). Between 1972 and 1973, he was

Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

. Between 1959 and 1968, he was a member of the

Union for the New Republic The Union for the New Republic (french: L'Union pour la nouvelle République, UNR), was a French political party founded on 1 October 1958 that supported Prime Minister Charles de Gaulle in the 1958 elections. History The UNR won 206 of 579 s ...

, then between 1968 and 1978 he was a member of the

Union of Democrats for the Republic The Union for the Defence of the Republic (french: Union pour la défense de la République), after 1968 renamed Union of Democrats for the Republic (french: Union des Démocrates pour la République), commonly abbreviated UDR, was a Gaullist p ...

and finally from 1978 until 1988 he was a member of the Rally for the Republic. Jean Foyer was known to be an outspoken defender of a very traditional conception of society and sexual morality, and in 1981, he led a fierce fight against the repeal of Article 331(2) of the Penal Code, an article inherited from the Vichy regime which maintained the age of consent for homosexual relations at eighteen years old (whereas it was fifteen years old for heterosexual relations). During the debate on 20 December 1981, he feared that the repeal of this law would soften the "lecherous old man who sodomizes a fifteen-year-old boy". He also asked: "Is the famous freedom that we are being told is only the right of ogres to devour little thumbs?".Archive assemblée nationale publié au Journal Officiel, débats parlementaires, Assemblée nationale, 2e séance du 20 décembre 1982, 5373.

References

Sources

* ''Sur les chemins du droit avec le

Général is the French word for general. There are two main categories of generals: the general officers (), which are the highest-ranking commanding officers in the armed forces, and the specialist officers with flag rank (), which are high-level office ...

: mémoires de ma vie politique – 1944–1988'', with Sabine Jansen, Fayard, Paris, 2006 * Le nouveau Code de procédure civile, with Catherine Puigelier, Economica, Paris, 2006 * ''France, qu'ont-ils fait de ta liberté ?'', François-Xavier de Guibert, Paris, 1999 * ''La papauté au XXe siècle'' (Singer-Polignac Foundation), Cerf, Paris 1999 * ''La Pensée unique : le vrai procès'', with Michel Godet,

Jean-Pierre Thiollet Jean-Pierre Thiollet (; born 9 December 1956) is a French writer and journalist. Primarily living in Paris, he is the author of numerous books and one of the national leaders of the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CEDI), a ...

, Françoise Thom..., Economica—Jean-Marc Chardon & Denis Lensel Ed., Paris, 1998 * ''Histoire de la justice'', Presses universitaires de France, Paris 1996 * ''La Ve République'', Flammarion, Paris, 1995 *'' Le député dans la société française'', Economica, Paris, 1991 * ''Titre et armes du prince

Louis de Bourbon Louis de Bourbon may refer to: * Louis I, Duke of Bourbon (1279 – 1342), Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis and La Marche, and the first Duke of Bourbon * Louis II, Duke of Bourbon, called the Good (1337 – 1410), third Duke of Bourbon * Louis de ...

'', Diffusion-Université-Culture, Paris; 1990 * '' Daumier au Palais de Justice'', La Colombe, Paris, 1958 * ''Procédure civile'', with Gérard Cornu, Presses universitaires de France, Paris, 1958 (first ed.) {{DEFAULTSORT:Foyer, Jean 1921 births 2008 deaths People from Maine-et-Loire Union for the New Republic politicians Union of Democrats for the Republic politicians Rally for the Republic politicians French Ministers of Justice Politicians of the French Fifth Republic Members of the Académie des sciences morales et politiques Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur