Lucienne Herman-Michielsens

Lucienne Adeline Jeanne Ida Michielsens (Ghent, 13 March 1926 - 22 January 1995) was a Belgian liberal politician for the Party for Freedom and Progress (PVV). She was married to the physician Jacques Herman.

Biography

Michielsens started her career as a teacher, like her mother. Later, however, she obtained a doctorate in law at the University of Ghent and became a civil servant. She was President of the national federation PVV-Vrouwen from 1970 until 1978, and founder and first President of the federation of Flemish PVV-Vrouwen (1978-1980). From 1977 until 1991 she was a member of the Ghent municipal council and senator for the PVV in the Belgian Senate.

On 3 April 1990 the Belgian parliament approved a bill, which Herman-Michielsens had submitted together with Roger Lallemand, to legalize abortion under certain conditions. The new law modified Articles 348, 350, 351, and 352 of the Belgian penal code (title VII, chapter I), and raised Article 353. For a short period in 1980, Herman-Michielsens was State Secretary for the Flemish community .

In addition to supporting gender equality, and abortion rights for women, Lucienne Herman-Michielsens fought for the legal guarantee of philosophical pluralism. After proposals on pluralism failed in June 1970, which have recognized Islam but not of the free-thinking, a law was passed on 23 January 1981.

Herman-Michielsens resigned in 1991, at the peak of her political career, after diabetes began to cause blindness and renal failure.

References

• Lucienne Michielsens (Dutch)
• Lucienne Herman-Michielsens (Dutch)