Beyond the Guillotine: Robert Badinter’s Fight for Human Dignity
The Inspirational Journey of French Humanism
Are you familiar with Robert Badinter?
To begin, he passed away in February 2024 at the age of 95.
While you may not be familiar with him, Robert Badinter was a pivotal figure in French politics during the 1980s. I didn’t mean to suggest he was among the most renowned, but rather among the most influential. This implies that even within France, he didn’t enjoy the same level of recognition as Charles de Gaulle, François Mitterrand, or Jacques Chirac.
Badinter’s convictions commanded respect. He possessed a strong ethical compass and held firm ideals for humanity.
Shaping History: Robert Badinter’s Leadership in French Death Penalty Reform
The name of Robert Badinter is associated with a decisive political and ethical decision: the abolition of the death penalty.
During that period, opinion polls indicated that the majority of the French population opposed abolition. Despite this, Badinter successfully persuaded French presidential candidate François Mitterrand to endorse abolition during his campaign.
After François Mitterrand assumed the presidency and appointed Badinter as Minister of Justice, one of Badinter’s initial actions in this significant role was to propose the abolition of the death penalty.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Philosophy and Beyond to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.