An early French feminist, Pelletier was the first woman to work as a psychiatrist in the French hospital system. She wrote extensively in the first decades of the twentieth century demanding women’s rights to political and personal freedom, including the rights to vote and abortion. She was a member of the SFIO – the French Socialist Party – where she insisted that the women’s cause be defended and opposed World War I. She was a founding member of the French Communist Party, which she left when it refused to add feminism to its priorities.
Disappointed by all political parties of the left, she participated in anarchist activities. More importantly, she put her ideas into action, performing abortions despite their illegality. Denounced to the police, she was convicted of the “crime” and, due to her condition (she'd suffered a stroke) was imprisoned in a mental institution, where she died.
Her home at 80-82 rue de Gergovie bears a plaque honoring her.