When do Leftist Governments Promote Abortion Law Reform? The Politics of Abortion in Latin America

ALBA MARÍA RUIBAL; CORA FERNÁNDEZ-ANDERSON

New Orleans

Congreso; Law and Society Association Meeting; 2016

Law and Society Association

Latin America is characterized by highly restrictive abortion policies, containing five of the seven states worldwide that ban abortion under all circumstances (Chile, Nicaragua,Honduras, Dominican Republic and El Salvador, the other two being Vatican City and Malta). Since the mid-1990s, the struggle for the legalization of abortion in the region gained momentum, and feminist organizations came together to launch national campaigns for the liberalization of abortion laws. Meanwhile, the new millennium hasseen the coming to power of democratically elected leftist and center-leftist governments in a majority of Latin American countries with a mix record when addressing reproductive rights and abortion in particular. Why have leftist governments in Mexico City and Uruguay supported abortion reform while those in Argentina, Brazil and Chile,among others, have mostly opposed the demand for decriminalization? We argue that based on the strength of the abortion reform campaign, together with the executive preferences, its perception of political costs, and the level of influence religious institutions have in the political system, leftist governments will embrace, oppose or ignore abortion reform proposals.