A French bill (No. 791, April 9, 2008), would provide (translation by my brother Sasha):
“Art. 223-14-1. The fact of provoking a person to seek an excessive thinness by encouraging prolonged dietary restrictions having for effect to expose him to a danger of death or to directly compromise his health is punished by two years of imprisonment and 30,000 euros of fine. The penalties are increased to three years of imprisonment and 45,000 euros of fine when this seeking of excessive thinness has provoked the death of the person.
“Art. 223-14-2. Propaganda or publicity, whatever the method, in favor of products, objects, or methods recommended as means of achieving an excessive thinness having for effect to directly compromise health, is punished by two years of imprisonment and 30,000 euros of fine.”
The New York Times reports that the law is supported by the government’s health minister, and backed by President Sarkozy’s party. “As written, the proposed French law does not make it clear who would be ultimately responsible for the content of such sites — the content creator or the Internet service hosting the site.” “[T]he French legislators are seeking to tame a murky world of some 400 sites extolling ‘ana’ and ‘mia,’ nicknames for anorexia and bulimia.”