The human body and the body elements—Conditions for their use in genetics under the French bioethics law and beyond

French legislation has strictly regulated genetic analysis since the adoption of the bioethics laws in 1994. Following a historical perspective, we discuss how French laws have provided a stable legal regime for access to and use of the human body and its elements until the recent revision of the laws. We present the main bioethical principles attached to the human body and their jurisprudential treatment. We balance this approach of stability by showing the strong evolution of the provisions regulating genetics in French laws. Initially based on and centred on the protection of the individual, we present and analyse the new possibilities for using genetic analysis in the name of solidarity with family members and with society as a whole, for research perspectives and for public health prevention.