French Court Ruling: Refusing Sex Not Grounds for Divorce in France

A 69-year-old French woman, identified as H.W. by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), brought a case to the court after her husband obtained a divorce on the grounds that she was "at fault" for refusing to have sex with him. The ECHR ruled in her favor, stating that the French courts had violated her right to respect for private and family life. This decision was made in 2021 and is notable amid a period of soul-searching in France following a high-profile case involving Gisele Pelicot. The ECHR's ruling suggests that a woman's refusal to engage in sex with her husband should not be considered a grounds for divorce.